


our love is great

by unbalancedlove



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Corporate, Alternate Universe - Office, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hate to Love, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2020-02-26 11:17:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 55,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18715954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbalancedlove/pseuds/unbalancedlove
Summary: mark lee is the youngest son and heir of the largest corporation in south korea.donghyuck is his brand new personal assistant.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> yes you read that chapter count right.
> 
> tags will be added + rating will be raised as the story progresses.

 

donghyuck carefully inspects the vegetables in the stall.

it’s a good thing he wakes up way too early to have one of his roommates tag along on his morning grocery shopping adventures. there is no jaemin to nag him to hurry the fuck up, or jeno to get distracted by a dog and wander off, or yangyang to point the dogs out to jeno. renjun never bothers to come so he’s excluded from this scenario.

so he takes his sweet time fussing over every radish, every eggplant, every cucumber in the outdoor market a couple of neighborhoods away from theirs. it’s around six in the morning and he’s the only person there under sixty.

“that’ll be 20,000 won,” the middle aged woman running the stall says without looking at him. she knows what’s about to come.

“20,000 is way too much, auntie,” he whines. “i’ve been coming here almost every week for how long now?”

she forces herself to look up and scans him in disdain. “you look a little more grown since the first time i saw you.”

“five years! five whole years, and you still won’t give a discount to your favorite customer? come on, i have four mouths to feed.” six if he includes jisung and chenle, who always come over to annihilate their fridge.

“i’ll give them to you for fifteen if you spare me from hearing your life story this time around.”

donghyuck breaks into a big grin, and she smiles back. she can’t help it, his energy is contagious. “i love you! you’re so good to me!”

“i always am. just promise you won’t abandon us and go to that giant mall across the street instead. business hasn’t been good since it opened,” she sighs.

the neo group’s newest shiny department store had set shop only a month ago, fully equipped with a movie theater, food court, and underground supermarket. there is something cold and lifeless about it. donghyuck thinks it’s an ugly and unnecessary addition to their otherwise quiet part of the city. 

“of course i won’t,” he winks at her. “i’ll be your favorite customer until i’m forty.”

she snorts. “you better not still be single and living with four roommates by that time.”

“maybe i’m saving myself for you.”

“donghyuck, take your vegetables and get the hell out.”

 

mornings at the aptly named dream house are a bit hectic, but it’s exactly what you’d expect from the living space of five guys in their twenties. 

donghyuck and jaemin share breakfast duty, alternating depending on the days of the week, and while jaemin is all about efficiency and getting as much food in as many mouths as quickly as possible, donghyuck likes to take his sweet time, waking up at five in the morning and preparing an elaborate meal that he makes sure to force everyone to be awake enough to appreciate and give him his due credit.

it’s been that way since they started living together in their first year of university, thrust together by fate and maybe a bored god who wanted to see what would happen if little grumpy renjun was forced to cohabitate with four over excited puppies. his various threats to move out over the years proved empty, because most of them had graduated but grew far too attached to move out.

the part about donghyuck staying there until he’s forty might not have entirely been a joke.

jeno emerges from his and jaemin’s room first. his eyes are still closed but his nose has detected the smell of donghyuck’s food and his body started to move on its own.

“morning. jaemin?”

“no thanks, already had that yesterday.”

“lee jeno i put a roof over your head and feed you and this is the first you say to me on this unholy morning? take it back or your breakfast goes in the trash.”

jeno finally opens his eyes, but only to narrow them at donghyuck questionably. “first of all, i pay my own rent. second, jaemin is still sleeping. third, you’re a bit testy today. did you not get a good price for our groceries this time?”

“of course i did, i am a haggling god.” donghyuck puffs his chest as he continues setting the table. jaemin shuffles in next and presses a kiss on jeno’s cheek before taking his usual seat across from him. 

“you tried to flirt with her again didn’t you?” he asks in a rather accusing tone. donghyuck doesn’t like it, especially because jaemin used to flirt with anything with a pulse prior to dating his roommate. jaemin is where he gets all his awful pick up lines in the first place.

“that’s none of your concern,” donghyuck mumbles back. “she was telling me that the neo department store is hurting their business. kinda makes me feel bad for applying there.”

despite graduating top of his class with a business administration degree at sm university, his job search had been fruitless in the six months that followed. so when he saw an online recruitment ad, he thought it would be funny to apply to the largest corporation in south korea.

 

**_one month ago_ **

there is literally no reason for him to be nervous. it’s not like he ever has a chance of ever working here.

but donghyuck still finds himself fixing his tie for ten minutes in the reflecting glass of the skyscraper where he’s supposed to be having his interview. when he’s finally satisfied with it, his attention strays to his hair. has it always flopped down his head like that? it looks so stupid and now he’s freaking out because he probably should have asked jaemin to fix it up for him in the morning. too late for that now. he’s going to walk in there looking like a distressed poodle and there is nothing he can do about it.

that place is a monstrosity, he thinks. it’s in the heart of the financial sector of seoul, so grand that the nearest subway station is named after it, with a fountain outside and the signature grass green color that represents the company present everywhere, but most prominently in the giant letters proudly spelling NEO right next to the revolving front door. just in case someone gets lost and misses every other clue of where they might be.

it makes donghyuck wonder if all the trees in the street were planted just to match their brand.

he drags himself inside, and he can’t shake off the irrational feeling that everyone in the sprawling reception area is staring at him, probably chuckling to themselves about his stupid looking hair.

donghyuck ignores the polite but confused smile from the receptionist and takes a seat in the cafe.

he’s still in disbelief that he ever got a call back from them. it really feels like one big practical joke. there are hundreds of much more qualified and experienced people out there and they choose lee fucking donghyuck.

so he sucks it up when the barista cheerfully asks him to fork out 8,000 won for a fucking latte. it’s not like he’s ever going to have a chance to taste their overpriced bourgeoisie coffee again. might as well, right?

donghyuck checks his phone and chuckles to himself when he finds thirty new messages from his friends. 

they know exactly how he can tense up when forced into a stressful situation, so they all spammed their group chat with memes and jokes and encouraging messages (well, just one from jeno) to get a laugh out of him before he goes into the scariest interview of his life.

he drinks his latte (which, fine, tastes pretty fucking amazing) while watching the big screen taking over one of the walls in a daze. it’s lee doyoung, neo group’s chairman, talking about some humanitarian initiative designed to make his corporation seem less evil. it’s obvious why he let his face be a part of their public image: doyoung is young, handsome, charismatic and has a warm smile that only compliment his perfect features.

that smile might have been what lured donghyuck into this place. not that it mattered, he’s engaged to another obscenely rich heir. jung jaehyun.

he’s so lost in doyoung’s explanation on why he’s saving the world that he almost falls out of his seat when his alarm goes off. 

**10:50AM**

**NEO INTERVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!**

this is it. 

donghyuck sheepily walks over to the receptionist, who greets him with the same bright smile, and tells her that mr. nakamoto was waiting for him upstairs.

if he thought he was nervous before, the waiting room filled with all the other sweaty and panicked candidates makes him want to pass out. the air is thick and stuffy, and donghyuck keeps having to remind himself to breathe.

it’s an unusual setup. most of the companies he applied for interviewed multiple people at once, but everyone here is being called in for one on one interviews. not efficient, but less embarrassing for him.

he watches people come in and out, some with faint smiles, others on the verge of throwing up. he’s pretty sure someone was trying to muffle the sound of their sobs in their sleeve. but it’s going to be fine. he’s not like them. he never had any hopes or expectations so he’s not going to be crushed when he gets laughed out of the room. donghyuck is just here for a laugh and a story to tell his roommates over dinner.

_ lee donghyuck. _

he braces himself and steps inside. there are three men sitting behind a table and scrutinizing him as he makes his way to the sad looking foldable chair in the middle of the room. geez, they could afford every fucking chair in south korea and they go with something that looks like it just got dug out of a supply closet. is this some kind of intimidation tactic? implicitly reminding him of his worth?

he feels like he’s about to audition for the latest season of produce 101, and the mental image involuntarily makes him smile. the guy sitting in the middle misunderstands his expression and grins back at him. good start.

“welcome donghyuck,” he says. “i’m nakamoto yuta. you nervous?”

“nah,” donghyuck’s stupid big mouth moves all on its own. “i’m the best fit for your company. you know why?”

this isn’t going to go anywhere, so he might as well have some fun with it. donghyuck doesn’t want to be that person who pukes his guts out in the nearest bathroom, and blabbing is what always helps him calm his nerves. 

the three men exchange incredulous looks and the taller one on the left is the one who asks: “why?”

“everyone here is obscenely good looking,” donghyuck responds in a theatrical whisper. he’s not lying. it’s not just doyoung. yuta looks like he escaped from a japanese youth drama, to his left is a giant with elvish features, and to his right is perhaps the best looking person donghyuck has seen in his life, with pretty eyes and a jawline that looks like it was carved by the gods. he gestures to his own body. “and i mean, i don’t think i need to explain myself further.”

yuta stares at him with his mouth open, looking completely unamused by this answer, but the elf snickers. “the flattery won’t get you far, mr. lee.”

“i’m in neo group’s head office, how much further could i get?” that earns an unexpected snort from yuta. there you go.

there is no way for him to spin the questions about his education and background into a comedic routine, so he answers them honestly. then the chiseled greek god (lee taeyong, donghyuck soon learns) asks him about his greatest strength. 

“i can talk my way into and, if the situation requires, out of anything.” he winks at taeyong as if to say,  _ i know you guys are shady as fuck, i get it _ . 

“greatest weakness?”

the elf, john, rattles off before he could. “overconfidence, talking too much, lack of experience….”

ouch. “you really understand me, i feel like we made a real connection here,” he replies with a warm smile.

the second he walks out of the room, his shaky legs finally begin to feel like they’re about to give out. he did it. he really made a complete fool out of himself 

he does rush to the bathroom, but only because the latte from earlier did not sit well around the tense nerves in his stomach. the one here is completely packed. fuck. he takes the elevator and heads a couple of floors up.

the twenty seventh floor bathroom is not only deserted, but also noticeably fancier. but donghyuck doesn’t have time to marvel at the gaudy marble and golden sinks, he locks himself into a stall, and as soon as he begins to process what a fucking weird day he’s had, someone busts in.

“so this is the day you decided you gave a shit about me, what gives?” the voice sends a chill down donghyuck’s spine. the man on the other side is not shouting, but there’s an undercurrent of anger in his voice that makes him feel like he’s listening in on a bubbling volcano.

also, he clearly has no idea donghyuck is there.

“i don’t care, doyoung, i’m not going. i don’t want to see him. or you for that matter.”  _ doyoung _ ? as in the fucking president and owner of this fancy toilet that he’s trying to poop in uninterrupted? he should have known wandering around the building unsupervised would land him in trouble. 

there is a long pause as the static of doyoung’s voice replies to this mysterious, but admittedly terrifying figure. he can’t think of any person here who has the authority to talk to him like that.

“appearances…..that’s all that matters to yo- no, let me finish. that really all that fucking matters to you. do you actually want me to be there for any other reason, doyoung?”

another pause, and then the person chuckles. “i’ll call you that when you earn my respect.” and then the two beeps signifying the end of a phone call. it’s silent again, only the sound of the running water and what donghyuck feels like is his very loud breathing. 

the guy stays there for a while, an excruciating five minutes, and donghyuck tries to reach for his own phone, but the rustling of his clothes betrays him.

the flowing of the water abruptly stops. “who’s there?” 

donghyuck stops breathing, and he stays frozen, afraid that any movement will make more noise and have the terrifying guy break through his door and kick him out of the building. 

they both stay still, waiting for the other to make the first move. to donghyuck’s surprise, the guy only heaves a very long sigh and leaves. strange. maybe he exhausted all his anger on that phone call.

he takes a peek out of his stall as soon as the person steps out the door, and he only catches a glimpse of the back of his black hair and a suit that probably costs three months of donghyuck’s rent.

there is something strangely familiar about him.

 

♡♥♡♥♡

 

“neo group’s run by a bunch of dickbags in suits,” donghyuck makes a disgusted face as he takes a sip of his (reasonably priced) coffee. 

“you couldn't shut up about how hot everyone there was for an entire week,” jaemin points out. “you’re just mad they’ve ghosted you.”

donghyuck turns red. was he really that embarrassing about it? “you don’t understand, jaemin. there is some sort of evil aura in that entire place. it made me so uncomfortable, i hated being there.”

he thinks of the guy in the bathroom. who the hell could that be? he searched the internet for clues and to learn more about the neo group hierarchy and all that turned up is a bunch of old farts. there was no way it could be any of them. 

“there’s that face again,” jeno whispers to jaemin, snapping him back to reality.

“what face?”

a loud thud comes from yangyang and renjun’s room, followed by a string of very impolite german words that donghyuck wishes he didn’t know the meaning to.

“yangyang, if you’re going to swear at least do it in a language we can understand,” jeno says, rubbing his temple.

“fuck!” yangyang screams back in korean. “i missed my morning class. why didn’t any of you wake me up?”

jeno and donghyuck stare at each before reciting the speech that yangyang gave them just last week. “‘i’m a grown adult, i don’t someone to drag me out of bed and take me to school.’”

everyone in the dream house has already obtained their bachelor’s degree except for him. yangyang transferred at the beginning of their second semester, and renjun still calls him the newbie sometimes. 

he’s sitting down on the table and gorging on donghyuck’s breakfast in seconds. “i was wrong! i’m a baby!” yangyang says as he chews loudly.

“i don’t think your professor will accept that excuse,” jaemin snickers. 

he’s gone in a flash, and donghyuck goes back to their urgent topic. “tell me, what face was i making?”

“you always do this thing when you mention neo, you just space out like you’re deep in thought about something. literally every time, and it’s so weird!” jeno replies. “did anything happen there that you’re not telling us about?”

donghyuck rolls his eyes. “what the hell would i keep from you?”

they’ll only think he’s crazy for getting so fixated over some random dude’s voice, and the fact that he was eavesdropping on someone’s conversation while taking a shit doesn’t bode well for him, no point in telling them.

 

renjun finally comes out of his cave around noon. he joins donghyuck on the couch, where he’s idly watching a daily drama. the plot is awful and somehow managed to shove in three birth secrets and one amnesia plotline, but he’s over a hundred episodes deep and he can’t stop until he sees it through. 

“sleeping the entire morning….not having to worry about job hunting….i’m really jealous of your life, huang,” he says as he throws an arm around his shoulder. renjun squirms in irritation but doesn’t move, like a cat begrudgingly accepting affection.

“no you’re not,” he says. he just pulled another all nighter doing some gruelling research work. realistically, donghyuck understands that grad school is difficult and that he’s not equipped for it at all, but he still likes to daydream sometimes.

“found any aliens yet?” is what he’s been asking renjun on a weekly basis since they met and renjun excitedly informed him that he’s an astronomy major. he only ever looks excited talking about the stars, and it makes donghyuck wish he was that passionate about something.

“you’ll be the first to know,” comes renjun’s usual reply, with a hint of fondness in his voice despite his stoic expression.

the two of them have been spending a lot of time together after graduation. with yangyang frantically trying to get through his senior year and jaemin and jeno settling into their new jobs, only their odd schedules seem to align. 

“how many interviews are you going to this week?” renjun asks. he can smell donghyuck’s job hunt induced anxiety from a mile away.

“zero,” donghyuck replies, trying to keep an easy tone even though it hurts to say it out loud. “it’s really rough out there, maybe i  _ should _ go back to school.”

“hey, come on now. you got as far as an interview with the biggest corporation in the country. that counts for something, right?” renjun tries to comfort him. “something is coming soon, i can feel it.”

“how can you tell, is it because of the new moon or saturn’s retrograde?”

the corners of renjun’s mouth twitch. “what did we say about astrology talk, donghyuck?”

“not inside the house.” there is nothing that his best friend hates more, and he has gone off on more strangers at parties who told him that ‘they’re such a gemini’ than donghyuck can count on his fingers, but he can’t resist the urge to push his buttons. 

they finish the drama and then share a pot of ramyun, and as donghyuck drops his head on renjun’s lap for his afternoon nap, he feels like he’s carrying the world’s entire weight along with him.

he hates feeling like that, weak and helpless against the unstoppable force of sadness that hits him whenever he thinks about how badly he’s fucking up this whole being an adult thing.

the traces of positive energy and hopefulness that he carried with him throughout his college years are starting to fade, and instead he’s faced with a deep sense of dread. no bright future, only darkness and uncertainty ahead.

maybe he started to get invested in that neo incident because he liked being there and how important it made him feel on some subconscious level, and it’s the only connection he has left with that place. 

his eyelids grow heavy, and he falls asleep as a neo-owned candy brand commercial plays on the tv.

he wakes up after an hour to an email notification.

it’s nakamoto.

♡♥♡♥♡

 

he’s standing there again, and the skyscraper feels impossibly tall, stretching above him like a dark cloud over his miserable existence.

donghyuck must be insane to walk back into this place again. willingly. but then again, nakamoto is not in his right mind either for not deleting and burning all his contact information after that disaster of an interview.

he checks his hair in the exact same spot. he is a distressed poodle no longer, he’s a confident adult man who does not compare himself to puppies in times of hardship, and he can fucking do this.

the friendly receptionist recognizes him immediately, and when he explains why he’s here this time she happily leads him to the twenty seventh floor.

“as soon as you get off the elevator, take a left and keep walking straight, his office should be at the end of the hallway,” she instructs. “congratulations, by the way.”

 

he furrows his eyebrows and hesitates in front of the door at the end of the hallway. maybe he should have asked nakamoto for instructions beforehand. as if he was reading his mind, nakamoto texts him at that exact moment.  _ go up and meet him first. i’ll be there soon. _

he tries knocking, but there is no response.

_ he’s not answering! _

the reply comes quickly.  _ just open the door, he doesn’t care. _

mark lee’s office is big and the city view from the window behind him is breathtaking, but the space is cramped and still makes donghyuck feel a little claustrophobic. he wants to skip greetings and start clearing the mountains of paperwork scattered everywhere right away.

not that mark would notice. he still hasn’t looked up from the laptop he’s furiously typing on, and despite donghyuck never seeing him before in his life he still feels a little starstruck. mark is boyishly handsome, his youthful features contrasting with the sharp angles of his face and high cheekbones. his office might be a mess but his look is meticulous in every aspect, from his perfectly styled black hair to the expensive watch reflecting the early morning sun rays to his dark green tie, and when he leans back towards his chair, deep in thought, donghyuck’s mouth goes dry as he notices how well his crisp white shirt compliments his broad shoulders and lean figure.

it takes him an entire minute to remember how to speak again. “mr. lee? i’m lee donghyuck.”

mark looks up from his laptop, startled. he blinks once, then twice, then his eyes widen in recognition. they’re so round and pretty, and donghyuck is a little dazed. “come on in.”

his voice registers in donghyuck’s head in an instant. it’s the guy from the bathroom.

and today is donghyuck’s first day as his personal assistant.


	2. Chapter 2

**_one week ago_ **

donghyuck is scared of nakamoto.

“you can just call me yuta, you know,” nakamoto says as he pays for his coffee.

“i’m not sure i’m comfortable doing that just yet,” he laughs nervously. donghyuck is grateful he asked to meet him in a public place. he’s still completely sure that nakamoto— er, yuta hates his guts. “sir.”

yuta raises an eyebrow. “your call.”

the email he received from him yesterday was unsettlingly vague. no second interview or a job offer, just a coffee invitation. he threw his phone in renjun’s lap and said he was terrified, but his best friend grabbed his shoulders and told him not to waste this opportunity.

it’s a good thing yuta is paying, because this place looks fancier than their company building, nestled in one of the ritzier parts of gangnam. these dickbags in suits continue to be annoying.

“why do you look like i’m about to bite your head off?” yuta asks, which only makes donghyuck more terrified of him. he wasn’t imagining that before, but he definitely is now. he looks like he has a strong set of teeth. donghyuck’s head will come right off.

“it’s just….” he takes a sip of his americano. “i really messed up my interview. i thought i’d never hear back from you again.”

“it wasn’t conventional, that’s for sure,” yuta agrees. “but you stood out from all our other applicants, and we rarely find someone special in the slew of faces we interview.”

donghyuck doesn’t know what to make of that. special how, exactly? he can’t think of any way he could mean that positively. the memory of john seo listing off his weaknesses easily makes him burn with embarrassment. coming here was definitely a mistake.

“to be honest, we weren’t ever planning on contacting you again,” he says, looking exasperated and frankly, a little desperate. “but an important position just opened up and after looking through all our recent applicants you’re the only person who seemed like a good fit for it.”

“me?” donghyuck looks around the busy cafe to make sure yuta is really talking about him. yuta is not amused by his theatrics. “are you completely sure? me? lee donghyuck?”

yuta glares at him. “dead sure, unfortunately. you’re not our conventional pick, but this isn’t a conventional job either.”

he’s dying of curiosity now. whatever could be so important that only donghyuck is capable of doing it? he thinks hard about his interview. was it the part where he implied he was on board with whatever shady shit a corporate their size is up to? did they understand it as a signal that he was one of them now? fuck, nakamoto is about to ask him to get rid of dead bodies. he’s the new corpse disposal guy. his first assignment is to get rid of the old corpse disposal guy. fuck fuck fuck.

“donghyuck, have you ever heard of mark lee?”

that name does bring a bell, as it would to any  _ hip _ millennial like him. “like the guy who was on show me the money 8?”

“what? no. doyoung’s younger brother, mark lee.”

“doyoung has a brother?” donghyuck exclaims, not bothering to hide his surprise. his reaction earns a few side eyes from the people sitting around them. “never heard of him, nope.”

it’s strange that he never heard of this other lee brother. he thought he did extensive research on the company before heading to the interview, and then right after the bathroom incident. there was no trace of this mark lee anywhere, not even on doyoung’s social media. he might have only scrolled through the latter to stare at him and his obnoxiously handsome fiance.

lee doyoung’s younger brother. who has a foreign name. wow.

“i’m not surprised. mark isn’t exactly big on any form of publicity. exact opposite of his brother, i guess you could say.”

donghyuck’s nosiness makes him forget why they’re having this conversation entirely. “and what does he do?” he’s also dying to ask  _ what does he look like _ , but he hasn’t lost his mind just yet.

yuta blinks at him. “he’s a director at the company, obviously. why else would i be telling you about him?” and he wonders why donghyuck is scared of him, sheesh. “anyway, mark’s personal assistant retired earlier this year and, well….” he stares pointedly at donghyuck, who stares back for a whole minute before understanding what he’s getting at.

“and you want— you want  _ me _ ? you want  _ me _ to do it?” 

“stop doing that or i’m going to change my mind.”

donghyuck wills himself to calm down and shakes his head slowly. “i’m really sorry. it’s just, i guess i don’t understand?”

yuta crosses his arms and nods. “what’s i’m about to tell you is both a job description and a warning.”

“i’m sure i could handle it.” he most certainly is not.

“out of all the people at the top in neo group, mark lee is probably the most hard working and meticulous. he comes in early and stays late, sometimes even sleeps in his office. you might think that he breezed through with his name alone, but he climbed his way to the top with his bare hands. his family is worth hundreds of millions and he doesn’t have to work a day in his life but he does and he does it well,” yuta explains. “i’m sure it’s obvious enough that working under someone like that is not a walk in the park. he’s going to have you work just as much if not more, but that’s not it.”

donghyuck gulps. “it’s not?”

“he’s a little….aloof.” his tone doesn’t make it seem like it’s only a little. “it’s a pretty lonely and exhausting job. you can pretty much expect him to not initiate any conversation with you unless it’s a request or command. three people already tried and quit in the past few months, and he doesn’t remember any of their names. but you, well, you had the balls and resilience to come all the way to us and act the way you did. you could be his perfect match.” 

this guy sounds like a fucking robot. not the type of person donghyuck would ever willingly try to talk to. donghyuck thinks about this for a while. he doesn’t want to be some rich asshole’s assistant, especially not one who is apparently a nightmare to work with. but then again, what else is he going to do? sit through god knows how many interviews for the rest of the year? he’s not mentally capable of enduring the crushing feeling that he’s wasting away his youth doing nothing instead of trying to build his career for much longer. 

yuta notices the worry knotting his face. “you don’t have to give me an answer now if you’re not sure yet, i could give you a week an—”

“i’ll do it.”

 

♡♥♡♥♡

 

“i can’t do it.”

it’s a little past nine, and donghyuck drops down onto the seat that jaemin and jeno had saved for him in the busy bar they frequent. yangyang is still at the campus library and renjun is ignoring their texts.

“so,” jaemin begins the interrogation. “does this mark lee really exist or did nakamoto trick you into wiping some old grandpa’s ass?”

“what the fuck is that thing?” jeno says, pointing at the brown stain on his brand new white shirt.

“he not only exists, but he’s a piece of shit.” donghyuck lets out the longest, most frustrated sigh. “and that….i will get to that.”

“okay, a piece of shit that looks like….?”

“yes okay he is hot and i am terribly attracted to him and it’s the worst thing that ever happened to me,” donghyuck says. “after moving in with the two most insensitive people on the planet.” 

his best friends look satisfied with the answer despite the tacked on insult about the quality of their friendship. they know that they’re donghyuck’s favorite people even when he complains and it’s obnoxious.

“you’re going to have to be a lot more specific than that,” jaemin eggs on.

“oh, don’t you worry.” donghyuck gulps down the drink jeno just poured for him in one go. “i’m going to go through every detail.”

 

“lee donghyuck,” mark repeats his name slowly as he steps in. his voice is distant, like he hasn't fully torn his attention from whatever he was doing on his laptop.

“yes sir, it’s really nice to finally meet you. i heard so much about you from mr. nakamoto,” he nervously rattles off and then regrets it immediately. he was literally told that mark is a private person and here he is telling the man himself that they were discussing him in depth. 

it’s just. hard to focus when mark looks like  _ that _ . yuta should have warned him that he looks like  _ that _ before everything else, or maybe donghyuck should have added pretty boys in suits to his list of weaknesses. 

“er, great. could you please clean up that mess on the couch?” mark does not have a commanding domineering tone, a far cry from how he sounded in the bathroom. he talks to him like he’s the fifteenth thing on his mind this morning, it’s either that or he’s deliberately keeping donghyuck at an arm’s length.

donghyuck can't decide which one of these options are worse.

“you’re still standing there,” mark says, not bothering to look up this time.

“it’s just— i just thought we were going to like….introduce each other first?” donghyuck did not practice his entire life story on the subway to be turned away like this. 

“yuta did brief you about this job, didn’t he?”

the sound of shattering glass rings in his mind. donghyuck snaps out of his gay daze immediately and he remembers all the things yuta warned him about. yeah, he definitely undersold how aloof mark lee is.

“h-he did.”

mark looks slightly relieved. “great, so you already know everything you need to know about me.”

_ aren’t you curious about me though? not even one bit? _ donghyuck is a little offended, mainly because he’s the funniest and most interesting person in the world. a missed opportunity for that prickly asshole. totally his loss, really.

“i’ll get started on it right away, i’ll just uh— get settled on my desk and come back.” he sheepishly turns away, uneasiness and dread swirling in his stomach. this is a hundred times worse than the interview.

“oh wait, donghyuck,” mark calls out to him.

donghyuck turns back so fast he almost trips and falls on his own feet. “yes sir?”

“get yourself familiarized with my current projects first, everything is already on your desktop. the mess in my office can wait.”

“so if i have questions….” he tries to force open another opportunity for interaction.

“you can ask taeyong for help.” mark shuts it tight. “his desk is right outside. pretty close to yours, hard to miss.”

it’s only when he closes the door behind him that donghyuck realizes mark did not smile at him once.

 

\---

“well he sounds like a lot of fun,” jeno remarks, looking somewhere between impressed and slightly sympathetic.

“right? who put a stick up his ass?” 

_ probably doyoung _ , donghyuck thinks. how could he not manage to connect the dots before? of course no one else at the company could talk to him like that….but a family member most certainly could. the drama binging part of his soul is burning with curiosity about their relationship. mark’s absence from doyoung’s public life is strange enough on its own, but their conversation is what sticks to his mind the most. all he wants to know is whether this was just a regular sibling fight (god knows he’s tried to choke jisung for less), or if they actually hate each other.

“weird, isn’t he? i always imagined the younger sons of rich families to be more, i don’t know, happy and carefree. i guess even money can’t buy you a fun personality.” he feels a little guilty saying that, and then hates himself for feeling sorry for him when mark has done nothing but piss him off the entire day. there must be traces of the gay daze still left in his system.

“so what happened next, did you clean his office or pretended to read documents while dicking around on your computer all day? i’m on the edge of my seat here.” jaemin rests his chin on his hands and leans closer.

“god, you’re annoying.”

\---

 

jaemin packed donghyuck’s lunch for him this morning, a bit of congratulatory present for landing a job. 

he didn’t think that he would be forced to pitifully eat at his desk, with hundreds of documents left for him to sift through. the least mark could do is treat him to a meal on his first day. he’s sitting on all his inherited millions and for what? speaking of mark, he hasn’t eaten all day or asked donghyuck to bring him anything. it’s a little worrying.

the main thing he learned is that most of mark’s work involves international deals with corporations from all around the world, some familiar names mixed up with ones he’s never heard in his life, but all impossible for him to pronounce. he guesses that’s where mark’s foreign name comes into play. he makes a mental note to muster up the courage to ask him how many languages he speaks.

“hey, mark assistant number….how many has he gone through now? four? mark assistant number five!”

donghyuck looks up, and then looks up even higher when he realizes it’s the giant elf from the interview. “el— mr. seo!”

“johnny,” johnny corrects. “is yuta forcing you to call him by his last name? i don’t do that. plus, on a hierarchical standpoint, you and i are on similar grounds, seniority not taken into account.”

donghyuck realizes something. “what does nakamoto yuta do, exactly? his job title is a mishmash of business-y sounding words.”

johnny is flustered by this question. “i, uh, i’m actually not sure, now that you mention it. he’s just there. being scary.”

“makes sense,” donghyuck nods. exactly what he expects from neo group. “he told me he’ll come up and see me this morning but he completely fell off the face of the earth for all i know.”

“that’s yuta for you, he might even be in another country right now.”

johnny drags a chair and sits next him, which donghyuck appreciates greatly. he doesn’t know when was the last time he went this long without speaking to another human being.

“how was your first morning here?”

he doesn’t know whether or not he should be honest. johnny and taeyong are both part of the team working directly under mark, and at this point he can’t tell how they feel about him. would it be unprofessional to vent his frustration? or would his honesty be appreciated? donghyuck’s still working out the dynamic of this place.

“i’m adjusting! especially to….director lee.” the title feels so weird on his lips. 

“still reeling from the shock that lee doyoung has a brother, huh?”

his face must be very easy to read. “not a peep about him online! when i try to search for his name all the results i get are about that rapper.”

johnny smirks. the corners of his mouth are pretty. “how do you think rapper mark lee got his stage name? it’s not quite as coincidental as you might think.”

“oh my go—”

“that was a joke!” johnny throws his head back as he laughs, and then composes himself within seconds. “or is it?”

“i can’t tell if you’re being serious right now and i’m scared.” the most honest thing he’s said since he came in today.

“i’m messing with you, donghyuck. just trying to help you ease off these nerves. what happened to the confidence you were radiating last time you were here?”

“last time i saw you there was no paycheck for me to worry about,” donghyuck blurts out, and johnny laughs again. it’s a warm sound. he could get used to it.

“that’s the spirit. do you have any questions so far? i’m bored today, not much on the agenda.”

“mark told me to ask taeyong, but i haven’t seen him all day.”

“taeyong has been on vacation for two weeks, not surprised that mark doesn’t know.” there is a hint of scorn hidden in his easygoing tone, and donghyuck sees it as an invitation to question him further.

“so it’s not just his assistants? he’s distant with everyone?”

“ah-ha, i knew nerves weren’t the only thing keeping you quiet. what happened with mark today?”

“it’s not that something happened….it’s that nothing did,” donghyuck answers. “i tried to start a conversation and he shut it down right away. the first thing he did was ask me to clean his office, no introductions or nice to meet yous or anything like that.”

johnny nods, understanding. “sounds like mark lee, although something tells me you won’t sit idly and take orders for too long.”

“w—”

“enjoy the rest of your day!” he says and walks back to his own desk before donghyuck could respond. 

 

“mr. lee,” donghyuck peeks his head through the door at six pm sharp. “i finished looking at the documents you asked me to.”

his eyes sting from staring at a computer screen the entire day, but he managed to not only go through everything (and texted yangyang to ask if he could practice english with him) but also integrate mark’s schedule into his. he feels proud of himself and he’s going to make mark acknowledge him this time.

“oh good, you’re here,” mark is sitting in the exact same position he left him in this morning. donghyuck is a little scared, maybe he is a robot. “can you fetch me some coffee from downstairs?”

donghyuck looks at the time on his phone just to make sure he heard him right. it’s the end of the day, they should both be home right now. he came in to say goodbye, not ask if he needed a fucking coffee.

_ let me go home you fucking asshole _ , he thinks.

“i don’t know your order,” he says.

as donghyuck buys mark something called a cherry bomb latte, he wonder why that guy has him so worked up. it’s not like he’s being rude or overstepping his boundaries. all he does is annoy donghyuck by not being completely enamored by his larger than life existence. does not having someone’s full attention really piss him off that much? is he a narcissist or simply attention starved? mark lee is forcing to him to deeply self reflect and he’s not enjoying it one bit.

he’s still worked up about it when he walks back to the twenty seventh floor.

“you’re holding two cups of coffee,” mark observes. incredible, his parents really got their money’s worth when they spent a fortune on his education.

“i thought i deserved a little pick me up after working hard all day long,” he empathizes the last three words as politely as he can. jaemin taught him this technique where he says menacing things with a bright smile. donghyuck always thought it was a creepy skill to have, and that his best friend would make an excellent serial killer, but he’s grateful for it right now. “do you mind, sir?”

mark’s annoying beautiful slender fingers finally stop typing. finally, he has more than ten percent of his attention. “no, i don’t mind,” he says, unsure of his own words.

“will that be all for now?”

mark looks confused, the most emotion he’s expressed today. that’s an entire thirty percent. “you finished looking at the documents, so you’re free to clean up my office now.”

so the day isn’t over in mark lee time. he can’t begin to process the idea of donghyuck going home at six in the evening. he has just enough willpower to stop himself from leaping over that desk and choking him with his stupid green tie.

“of course, sir.”

mark was (obnoxiously, unfortunately) right, familiarizing himself with his organization system does help him with his task. he knows which documents are no longer relevant, which ones are confidential and need to be shredded, and which ones are of highest priority and belong on mark’s desk. 

he expects a little bit of conversation to fill the thick air of awkwardness, but mark meets him with total silence. it’s driving donghyuck crazy, especially because he has so much that he wants to talk about with him. about himself, about doyoung, about how mark grabbed his high position in the company, about why there are no fucking pictures of him anywhere on the internet. 

he’s so curious about everything, he even wants to ask how much that tie costs (and then cry about it to his friends later).

it takes an hour, but the surface of mark’s black couch is finally visible again, and everything is organized into neat piles on the floor. 

well, almost everything.

there is a beat-up blue binder labeled  _ sun & moon _ in english in what donghyuck can only assume is mark’s neat handwriting. he’s too scared to open it and risk getting yelled at.

“mr. lee?” he calls out. “what do i do with this? i didn’t encounter anything like it today.”

“what are you talking abou—” mark looks up, and his eyes widen. “don’t touch that. leave it exactly where you found it.”

“are you big on astronomy?” donghyuck hangs on to this connection as if his life depended on it. “my best friend and roommate is an astrophysicist. he told me on the first day we met that he believes in aliens and that he’s going to meet one before he dies. isn’t that crazy? you’d think that would scare me away, but he showed me what he’s all about from the get-go and i guess i appreciated his honesty.”

“not really, and i wish you wouldn’t talk about this binder anymore,” mark replies curtly. he’s back to giving donghyuck five percent, almost like a punishment.

or at least that’s how donghyuck perceives it. it’s turning into a game.

“oh i’ve already forgotten about that,” he reassures him quickly, even though mark’s caginess amplifies his curiosity.  _ sun & moon _ , huh? sounds romantic. “anyway, as you can imagine, he has a massive hate boner for astrology and never lets me talk about it in our house. it’s a nightmare, really. what’s your sign. sir?”

“if you’re finished with your work for today you can go home, donghyuck.” he doesn’t like how mark says his name, how he’s using it to create a bigger wall between them. he doesn’t get to do that. 

he walks over to his desk with the pile of extremely important documents in hand. “i’m only trying to make conversation, sir.”

“donghyu—”

“like, i understand that you’re busy and all but taking two minutes a day to get to know each other won’t hurt, especially since we’re going to spend so much time together. if anything, i think it would benefit us both. when i was in college i read this study about how co-workers who get along are more productive than those who don’t. i can email it to you if you’d li—”

“donghyuck, no—”

it all happens so fast. he slams the documents on the desk hard despite mark’s repeated protests, forcing the half finished cup of cherry bomb (what the fuck is in that thing? donghyuck is suddenly so much more alert, it’s freaking him out) to topple down and splash onto him.

he stares down at his ruined shirt, and then at mark’s horrified expression. that’s it. one hundred percent.

“it’s leo,” mark mumbles, his lips slightly trembling. they’re still staring at each other and ignoring the mess at hand.

“what?”

“leo. that’s my sign. and don’t call me sir, i’m only twenty six and it’s weird.”

and that’s one (extremely thin) layer peeled.

“okay. mark.”


	3. Chapter 3

donghyuck sleeps for twelve hours straight on the weekend of his first week of working for mark. 

on saturday afternoon, he wakes up to yangyang’s foot in his face.

it only takes two sniffs to know which one of his roommates it is. they’re gross like that. “liu yangyang if you try to wake me up using the foot in face method ever again i’m going to have you living in the streets of seoul.”

“it works every time though, doesn’t?” yangyang replies, putting his leg down. donghyuck feels a heavy weight on the side of his bed.

“there better be a good reason for you to wake me up this early.”

“at two in the afternoon?”

“two in the afternoon.”

“there’s a package for you,” yangyang explains. that piques donghyuck’s interest enough for him to open one skeptical eye. “it’s big and it’s been here since nine, we’re all dying to know what’s inside but renjun wouldn’t let us open it. something about respecting others’ privacy, a load of bullshit if you ask me.”

“isn’t that just my mom sending an unnecessary amount of food even though she knows jaemin and i are amazing cooks?”

“i’m offended you think that i don’t know the smell of your mother’s cooking, first of all, and why would she send it via a delivery service instead of forcing poor jisung to carry it all the way here?” there is this mysterious smile plastered on yangyang’s face that donghyuck has come to know as a sign for disaster.

but he makes some good points, donghyuck has to grudgingly admit. there is no choice but for him to drag himself out of bed. it’s not like him to wake up at irregular hours, he’s usually so full of energy even when he’s running on two hours of sleep. it’s just that everything had been too much for his brain lately, an overwhelming weight has been put on it and he’s still trying to process and adjust. 

mark lee is too much.

he’s clammed up even more after the incident on the first day, despite donghyuck’s constant attacks. it’s clear to donghyuck that mark finally understands how powerful he really is and is taking the necessary precautions. it’s so annoying, would it kill him to make one friend at the company? he always leaves mark’s office with a dejected frown on his face, and johnny reassures him that it’s not personal. that’s just how mark is to everyone.

he glares at his dark circles as he brushes his teeth. his job is already taking a toll on his pretty face, and that’s not the worst part of it, because even when he should be taking it easy this weekend, his mind feels so distant. he’s so antsy, wondering if mark is at the office, if he should be there too scheduling his meetings and bringing his coffee.

his roommates are sitting around the kitchen table, trying and failing to look uninterested in the sealed box perched between them. “uh, morning to you too guys.”

“hey donghyuck,” jaemin replies through a tight smile, and donghyuck understands the power he currently has in his hands.

“so what are your plans for the weekend? are you going to catch the new marvel movie?”

“we had a long week, so we decided to just stay in,” jeno says impatiently. donghyuck walks over to the fridge, spends ten seconds trying to decide on a drink, and then picks up a bottle of blueberry smoothie, uncaps it, and takes a long sip. yangyang buries his face in his hands. the only person who’s truly uninterested is renjun, who’s texting on his phone with a concentrated frown.

“oh, that’s a shame. i’ve been dying to see it. i guess i’ll ca–”

“just open the fucking box already!” yangyang yells, and donghyuck almost drops his drink.

“you guys are the worst, you know that?” donghyuck says, not missing the opportunity to be a self righteous dick. “you can never mind your own fucking business.”

“says the person who hounded me for details the night jeno and i finally got together,” jaemin argues back without missing a beat.

“excuse m–”

renjun slams his phone on the table. “if you don’t open it and shut them all up i’m going to throw it out myself.”

“fine,” donghyuck says with a small voice, pretending that his best friend didn’t just scare the shit out of him. “but afterwards we need to talk about the unhealthy excitement you guys have for sealed boxes.” does he live with a group of newborn puppies?

“well, obviously,” jeno says. “you don’t get a package from mark lee delivered to your house every day.”

donghyuck’s heart drops when he hears that name. “a package from who?”

renjun turns to yangyang. “how could you leave that part out?”

“and rob you all of his reaction? you should thank me,” yangyang replies, smiling diabolically. 

donghyuck frowns. “this really isn’t exciting as you think it is. he’s probably sending me a bunch of documents or….well i don’t know but it’s definitely work related.”

“in a giant box?”

“trust me, you don’t know mark lee.”

he takes a long anticipating breath, bracing himself for the work he’s been assigned for the weekend before opening it. what he finds inside, however, are not documents. they all stare at the contents in confusion.

“he sent you clothes?” renjun is the first one to speak.

“not just clothes. designer suits,” jeno says, picking opening up one of the packages containing a shirt and whistling.

“donghyuck has a sugar daddy!” yangyang covers his mouth, looking scandalized. renjun smacks the back of his head.

“that can’t be….he must have sent these by mistake!” donghyuck says, refusing to entertain the idea that mark would send him a  _ gift _ . everything inside looks way too expensive, the labels alone make him want to faint. what the hell is he supposed to do with all of this? no. it can’t be for him.

there is a note in jaemin’s hand, and he starts to read it out loud before donghyuck quickly snatches it away.

_ donghyuck, i’m sorry about your shirt. hopefully these are enough. _

—  _ ML _

“what the fuck,” he whispers under his breath.  _ enough _ ? he sent him a new wardrobe for a shitty little coffee stain. these clothes must cost millions of won. “is he fucking insane?”

“that’s a weird way of saying thank you,” jaemin says, trying on a blazer “if it were me i would keep my mouth shut. woah, this is your exact size.”

“give me that,” donghyuck takes it off him and wears it over his pajamas. he’s right, it’s a perfect fit. did mark spend so much time staring at donghyuck and his shabby clothes that he can eyeball his size? the idea of mark watching him while he’s not looking forces blood to rush to his face.

it’s no secret that he’s attracted to mark, jeno and jaemin have been using it as joke fodder ever since he admitted it to them that night. but it doesn’t matter, because mark is annoying and cagey and has the personality of a cardboard. a complete waste of a handsome face.

“‘i wanted to apologize to you in person donghyuck,’ ‘let me pay for the dry cleaning donghyuck,’ ‘it’s not my fault you were stupid enough to spill my coffee on your shirt but i’ll take responsibility donghyuck.’ is it too hard for him to open his mouth and actually say all that?”

“aw, he’s shy. that’s adorable,” yangyang coos. 

“there is nothing adorable about it, he’s a grown man. right, renjun?” he looks to his best friend for support.

renjun shrugs. “i don’t know, it’s a really kind gesture and you’re here whining about it. wipe your tears with your gucci tie and get over it.”

it’s not just the fit, the soft colors and patterns suit him perfectly, and despite the crazy price tags they’re similar to his personal style. mark learned all that from spending a week with him. it’s flattering but also a little bit scary. he was really there thinking that mark did not not give a single shit about him, and donghyuck realizes that he has no clue of what’s going on inside mark’s head at all.

 

donghyuck shows up to work on monday fully dressed in his new presents. a cream wool sweater over a baby blue shirt and dark tie. his heart is thumping as he makes his way to the twenty seventh floor, unable to shake off the thought of wearing mark’s clothes, mark picking out his clothes, mark dressing him.

“good morning mark,” donghyuck walks in, pretending to stare at the schedule on his phone to avoid looking at him. mark turns his attention to him and breaks into a tiny giddy smile when he notices what he’s wearing. that’s new.

“oh, you look great,” he realizes what he just said and his eyes widen, wandering away. “i mean, uh, the clothes. the clothes look really good. on you.”

donghyuck blinks at him, a flush spreading to his neck. mark is complimenting his looks. okay. he’s either still dreaming or has walked into the wrong company building.

“thank you for the clothes. it was a little over the top but...thank you,” he says, unable to stop himself from slipping in that dig. someone needs to teach mark lee normal human interaction and it’s unfortunate but he has to be that person.

“it’s nothing,” mark shakes his head, his expression going back to stoic and unreadable.  _ maybe nothing to you _ , donghyuck thinks. “i felt really bad about my coffee getting all over your shirt, i couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

“you didn’t want to have that on your conscience?” donghyuck rephrases for him.

“i guess you could say,” mark agrees.

it doesn’t sound as...intimate as donghyuck had built up in his mind when he puts it like that. he feels stupid for letting his thoughts run wild in the first place. mark felt guitly. that was a problem. rich people solve problems by throwing money at them until they felt better. simple math.

he clears his throat. “you’re going to meet with some investors from japan later this week, and uhm, chairman lee’s assistant contacted me to schedule a meeting with you today.”

“tell her i’m busy all week,” comes mark’s swift reply.

donghyuck’s stomach drops. doyoung keeps asking to meet him and mark rejects his advances every single time. it’s bad enough for him that he gets a heart attack every time he receives an email from ‘lee doyoung’s office’, having to write back another polite rejection is pure torture. he wishes the two brothers would just get over whatever it is they’re fighting over and make up already.

“right away.”

 

donghyuck seriously fucked up.

“you should just tell him,” taeyong, who just got back from his vacation with a nice tan, advises him.

“no way, i’m going to get fired,” donghyuck whispers in horror. his career is dead before it even got off the ground. it’s all over. all because he’s shit at reading.

“he’s never fired someone before,” johnny assures him. “yuta told you, didn't he? they all quit first.”

“that’s not very reassuring right now!”

taeyong glares at johnny, who scratches the back of his head nervously. “sorry, just helping you face the reality of the situation.”

“look,” taeyong says. “you can either tell him now and get it over with or let the guilt eat up at you for the rest of the day before dropping that bomb on him.”

“taeyong,” donghyuck asks in a low voice. “what does mark do when he’s angry?”

taeyong and johnny look at each other. they have an entire conversation with their eyes while donghyuck watches on helplessly. he hopes he can stay in the company long enough to understand neo group language too.

“to be honest, no one has actually seen him get angry? at least not us around here,” johnny gestures to himself, taeyong, and the other two guys on the team, taeil and kun. taeil always looks like he just wandered into the office by accident, and kun always has the facial expression of a person trying to put out a huge fire all by themselves. “he doesn’t get mad as far as i know, it’s not included in one of his two default moods.”

“which are?”

“focused and vaguely amused.”

and then donghyuck remembers something. 

he has  _ heard _ mark’s anger before.

“haha, you know what, maybe i should just tell yuta instead.” he never wants to hear mark use that tone ever again, much less if it’s directed at him. (no matter how hot it sounds.) (wait what?)

“no no no, yuta is who you go to when you actually want to get fired.”

“oh.”

“tough luck kid,” johnny slaps his back a little too hard. donghyuck can’t decide if he loves this guy or wants to choke him.

 

“why are you looking at me like that?” mark asks, mirroring his nervousness.

donghyuck shifts in his place uncomfortably. “mark, i made a mistake.”

mark proves johnny wrong by displaying a new emotion: terror. “is it doyoung related?”

it takes donghyuck  a second to process that, and when he does he waves his hands in front of his face quickly. “oh no no no, god no it’s not. i’ve already talked to his assistant and blew him off like you asked.” he winces at his own choice of words. he’s so bad under pressure. “it’s about the foreign investors coming in this week.”

“what about them?” mark asks, all signs of fear gone from his face. he doesn’t care as long as it’s not doyoung related. donghyuck is relieved, now his news is not as bad as mark had built up in his head. a small victory.

“the presentation you’re supposed to give….is tomorrow.” donghyuck spent his entire morning picking something to wear that he didn’t bother reading the schedule carefully.

mark doesn’t react, he only leans back into his chair and stares blankly. “well….shit happens, doesn’t it?” he finally says in an even tone, not a hint of the voice donghyuck heard in the toilet that fateful day.

“it does,” donghyuck agrees. yes, that’s right. flawless reasoning mark lee. he feels sorry for calling him a cardboard before. he’s a very kind cardboard, the best. his career is not over just yet.

“we have no choice but to keep marching into this potential disaster,” mark says, already in the middle of typing something rapidly into his computer. “clear my schedule for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning, and cancel any plans you had tonight.”

that stops donghyuck’s mini celebration. “sorry?” 

“we’re going to stay here until we finish working on tomorrow’s presentation. you don’t have anything important tonight, do you?”

ah, that’s right. mark lee time. donghyuck has quickly learned the rules that govern mark’s life. the day begins at six in the morning and ends when his work for the day is finished. there is no five pm, there is no ‘i’ll finish tomorrow,’ when he starts something he has to see it through until the end, the world (and people) surrounding him be damned. it’s somewhat admirable but mostly worrying.

donghyuck can’t understand it still, everyone in the company works their asses off and they do it to stay alive, mark doesn’t have to go this hard but he always does, harder than everybody else even. almost as if he’s making a point.

it was donghyuck’s turn to make dinner today. whatever, jaemin owes him one anyway.  “nothing more important than this.”

“good, find a spare laptop and relocate to my couch in ten minutes.”

they work through the morning and afternoon. mark doesn’t look a little bit fazed by the sudden change of plans, focusing completely on working as fast as possible and not saying much to donghyuck. in turn, donghyuck refrains from bothering him as usual and silently thanking every god out there that he landed a mild tempered boss.

but there’s something that’s been bothering for a while now.

while he chewed on an apple that he found in the kitchen for the better part of the day, mark hasn’t moved from his desk or eaten anything. the only thing donghyuck has ever seen him consume is coffee. he takes a quick glance at the corner of the laptop he borrowed from taeyong. it’s seven in the evening already, mark has been here for at least twelve hours.

“mark, don’t you think it’s time for a break?”

“huh? why?”

_ maybe because you’ve been working for twelve hours straight? _ “you skipped out on lunch and it’s already dinner time. you need to eat something.”

“oh i’m sorry, you could take a break if you’re hungry. i’ll be fine for an hour or so.”

donghyuck huffs in frustration. how could be so smart and observant and so fucking dense. “this isn’t about me! you can’t starve yourself for an entire day because of some stupid presentation. most of it is done anyway, and you said it yourself. an hour long break won’t hurt.”

mark is taken aback by his tone. “i don’t think–”

“there is a great chinese place a block away. you like jjajangmyeon?” he doesn’t stop to think about what mark usually eats. what do rich people eat for dinner every day? caviar? 

“u–uhm–”

“do you like it or not?” donghyuck snaps at him, already preparing to go out.

“yeah, yeah– jjajangmyeon is good.”

he comes back fifteen minutes later and the first thing he notices after being away from mark for the first time in hours is how frail he looks. tired and hollow and barely keeping it together. donghyuck feels angry that there is no one looking out for him. no one making sure he’s healthy and standing on his own two feet.

he sets the food on the floor and invites mark to join him with a hand wave. mark hesitates before sitting down next to donghyuck. his hands are shaking a little bit, and donghyuck contemplates feeding him for a second, and then decides against it. some boundaries can’t be crossed.

"you were right, this is amazing,” mark says, devouring the contents of the plastic container donghyuck just pushed towards him. his heart feels at peace, finally seeing him eat so heartily.

“good, i wasn’t sure what you wanted to eat, i just brought up the first restaurant i thought of,” donghyuck says, watching him with a smile. “what did you have for breakfast?”

he’s not expecting an answer, mark never gives them. “well i tried to make a fried egg but i messed it up. i didn’t want to risk being late and ended up eating it anyway….” 

donghyuck snorts in surprise. “how do you mess up a fried egg?”

“it’s not as easy as it seems,” mark replies defensively. he’s talking about eggs but he looks exactly like he does when he’s discussing important company related matters with donghyuck. the mark lee scale of seriousness, donghyuck coins a new term. always turned all the way up.

“it’s exactly as easy as it seems,” donghyuck spits back, unable to contain his laughter. “i cook for my four roommates, so i would definitely know.”

he wants to ask why mark doesn’t hire a personal chef or a housekeeper to prepare his meals for him, but seeing the lone wolf position he’s voluntarily taken in the company, it does not seem out of character for him to try and be completely independent even at home. the right question is why he chooses to be like this.

“like the alien one?”

he’s surprised mark remembers. “yeah, exactly. that’s renjun. you look just like how he and my other roommate yangyang do when they come back from university, absolutely starving. my heart just can’t stand it, i need to sit them down and make them a warm homemade meal immediately.”

mark nods, probably trying to wrap his millionaire brain around what life in their household must be like. “you just enjoy taking care of people?”

“not necessarily,” he replies. he realizes his new job is exactly that, when it comes down to it. “i grew up with a much younger brother, and i naturally took on that role ever since i could remember. whenever jisung got mad at me, he would refuse to eat and tell me my food tasted like poison. that little brat always knew how to hurt my feelings, but we got a lot closer after i moved out. it’s funny how that works, right?”

he realizes that he’s pouring his heart out to mark, prompted only by a couple of polite (albeit a little too curious) questions. 

“not necessarily, the more you see someone the more their faults become pronounced to you,” mark says cryptically. his words carry a lot of weight behind them. donghyuck is not sure if he’s reading too much or into it or trying to pick up any hint and clue about mark’s life. 

“did you fight a lot with chairman lee growing up?” donghyuck asks before he could stop himself. calling doyoung chairman feels weird, it sounds like he’s talking about mark’s grandfather, not his brother who’s only five years older.

“i don’t think that’s any of your concern,” mark replies sharply, and the thin connection they’ve created is immediately snipped.

“y–you’re right. i’m sorry, i overstepped my boundaries.” just because he gets to call him mark doesn’t mean they’re friends. just because he just overshared about jisung’s stupid antics doesn’t mean they’re friends. just because he knows mark’s zodiac sign  doesn’t mean they’re friends.

mark mellows out after hearing his apology. he sighs and hangs his head. “no, i’m sorry too. i shouldn’t snap at you. i just don’t want to talk about this, so please don’t ask me again.”

“understood, si– i mean mark.”

“we should get back to work,” mark says, finishing off the last few bites of jjajangmyeon and wiping the corners of his mouth. “it’s getting late.”

“of course.”

they were doing  _ so well _ . donghyuck internally kicks himself. he had to let his nosiness get the best of him and ruin everything. as he helps mark clean up the floor, he gets a last ditch idea to salvage the mood.

“mark, i’ve been thinking about meeting the investors tomorrow. i can’t speak japanese or english all that well, but i thought of some fun icebreakers in japaense to like, ease the tension, lessen the awkwardness of the language barrier.”

“an icebreaker?” mark asks, incredulous.

“yeah, like a joke or a pun, do you wanna hear some of the ones i’ve come up with?”

mark looks at the work piled on his desk and then back to donghyuck. he chooses donghyuck. “fine, let’s hear it.”

“what do you call a bread that plays the piano really well?” mark thinks about the question like it’s a brain teaser, so donghyuck rolls his eyes and adds: “you’re supposed to ask me  _ what _ ?”

“okay, what?”

“chopin.”

mark is quiet for a long time, and donghyuck thinks that he’s only made the situation worse, but then he exhales through his nose once, and then twice, before breaking into a loud fit of giggles. he laughs and laughs, leaning over to catch his breath. his entire face changes, squishing together around his nose and revealing his perfect set of teeth. he has a high pitched and messy laugh, splashing against his otherwise immaculate, carefully put together exterior. and donghyuck decides that he likes it a whole lot. 

“you really liked that, huh?” donghyuck says teasingly, breaking into a proud smile.

“that’s funny,” mark still laughing, interrupted with a few cute tiny hiccups. it’s like he’s never heard of the concept of puns in his twenty six years of life. “you’re really funny.”

and that’s when donghyuck realizes his boss is kind of a dork.


	4. Chapter 4

yuta never informed donghyuck that his job would involve a lot of traveling.

“yangyang, have you seen my passport?”

“you have a passport?” yangyang replies. “when have you ever left the country? more importantly, why are you leaving the country?”

“he’s trying to escape the clutches of mark lee,” renjun snickers. “oh, the horrors of having to wear the expensive suits your boss bought you.”

donghyuck throws him a glare before going back to rummaging through their room. “mark lee is the reason i need to find my damn passport.”

he should have seen this coming. he overhears mark talk in english on the phone often. it stirs some kind of primal feeling inside of him that he has to push down every time. his annoyance at mark outweighs his attraction to him most of the time, but he’s not always successful at ignoring how hot his boss is. what can he say? he’s gay with fully functioning eyes.

“where is he taking you?”

“jeju, for the weekend.” _where_ did he put his fucking passport?

yangyang turns to renjun. “should i tell him?”

renjun shakes his head. “he’ll figure it out himself. maybe. hopefully.”

 

donghyuck doesn’t realize that he doesn’t need a passport to travel to another part of the country until the car he sent to pick up mark pulls up in front of his house.

and he doesn’t have the time to plan all the different ways he could simultaneously choke both renjun and yangyang because mark is sitting in said car. “good morning donghyuck,” he says, like he does every morning. just a bit softer this time.

donghyuck’s image of him hasn’t been the same since they had dinner together. mark seemed so thorny to him before, and he pushed through and let himself be stung regardless. but his cute laugh stuck out in donghyuck’s mind, rounding out mark’s sharp edges. it helps that mark looks a little sleepy too, in his quiet, subtle mark way. his collar isn’t perfectly straight, there is a faint darkness under his round eyes, and he tries to stifle a yawn by covering his mouth with his fist. it doesn’t go unnoticed by donghyuck though.

“i was going to meet you at the airport myself,” donghyuck says sheepishly.

“that’s just a waste of time,” mark explains. typical. “we could benefit from the hour drive to incheon, don’t you think?”

“sure,” donghyuck replies, mentally cursing him out. he opens the scheduler on his phone. “we’ve got a pretty busy weekend. we’ll land in jeju around noon, and then it’s straight to the hotel. our guests will arrive tomorrow morning, i hope.”

mark huffs and pushes against the seat. “doyoung has me entertaining his guests like i’m fucking jungwoo or some shit.”

 _they’re high ranking executives from the united states, it kinda is your job_. donghyuck thinks. he wonders who jungwoo is but knows better than to ask at this point. if it’s doyoung related he’s not going to get an answer.

his best friends hound him about meeting _the_ lee doyoung, but thanks to mark’s incredible effort, he hasn’t managed to see him in person once. they’ve been working in the same building for months now.

donghyuck can’t blame them for being so interested though, doyoung has a very large social media presence, with millions of people following his seemingly perfect life peppered with posts designed to boost neo group’s image. he wonders how many people there are in the pr department whose sole job is to manage his public persona.

“you look good today too,” mark says suddenly, and donghyuck is taken aback. right, he’s wearing mark’s clothes (he can’t get himself to stop calling them that) again. he gives mark five seconds to correct himself. he doesn’t.

“thank you,” donghyuck clears his throat, his heart soaring. he forces a smile in mark’s direction, and mark smiles back. it’s small, just a little shy, but there is a new warmth behind it.

the traffic outside suddenly sounds a little too loud.

 

“welcome to paradise!”

a blond man in sunglasses greets them at the entrance of the n city resort jeju. he’s wearing a flower patterned silk robe on top of a tank top and a pair of shorts.

that’s not the strange part. the strange part is that he pulls mark into a suffocating hug. mark struggles as the man tries to plant a kiss on his cheek like he’s a five year old visiting his grandmother. donghyuck watches helplessly, wondering if saving mark is part of his assistant duties.

mark finally breaks free but his face is squished in his mysterious friend’s hands. “minhyungie, you haven’t been replying to my texts.”

donghyuck’s blood runs cold. is this mark’s boyfriend? fuck, no one in the office mentioned this to him before. it makes sense though. he’s tall and handsome on top of being (judging by his first impression) just as obscenely rich.

“stop embarrassing me jungwoo,” mark manages to spit out, his eyes darting to donghyuck with worry. donghyuck refuses to meet them, struggling to keep a straight face.

“oh, right how rude of me i’m so sorry,” jungwoo lets go of mark and puts his hand out for donghyuck to shake. “i’m zeus, you must be donghyuck.”

“this is jungwoo,” mark says gruffly. “stop calling yourself that.”

“when you stop calling yourself mark or whatever the fuck,” jungwoo sticks his tongue out at him.

“mark is my actual name!”

jungwoo takes one glance at him and decides he’s not worth that argument. donghyuck finds his complete disregard for mark inspiring. “i heard all about you from yuta. come on in.”

he leads them inside the lobby, whispering a few words to one of the staff before taking them to their rooms upstairs.

once in the elevator, donghyuck takes out his phone and shakily searches for yuta’s name in his contacts.

 **DONGHYUCK:** _who the hell is kim jungwoo?_

 **NAKAMOTO:** _i have never heard that name in my life._

“yuta is my boyfriend,” jungwoo further explains to fill the silence. this new piece of information fills donghyuck with a mixture of relief and horror.

mark rolls his eyes. “yuta is not your boyfriend.”

“sure, his dick accidentally slipped into me several times over the course of seven months, minhyung.”

“ _mark_ ,” he corrects.

 **NAKAMOTO:** _where are you by the way?_

 **DONGHYUCK:** _jeju._

 **NAKAMOTO:** _oh._

 **NAKAMOTO:** _fuck._

jungwoo leads them into a suite on the last floor. donghyuck is stunned, the living room seems to stretch on endlessly, its sleek modern decor perfectly blending with traditional elements. right, he had read about the resort getting completely renovated earlier this year. there is also a fucking fountain in the middle for no reason. god he hates rich people.

“our honeymoon suite,” jungwoo announces cheerfully as they walk into the bedroom. his smile fades when he notices their panicked expressions. when donghyuck called in to book their rooms earlier that week he was told that the lee family’s accommodation is already accounted for. this wasn’t what he had in mind. “oh no, you wanted two separate rooms?”

mark is shaking. “kim jungwoo what have you do-”

jungwoo laughs and cuts him off.  “i’m just messing with you, oh my god. it’s the presidential suite. the second bedroom is across that hall.”

“thank you,” donghyuck gulps, relief washing over him.

“get settled in and meet me downstairs when you’re ready,” he winks and leaves as mysteriously as he arrived.

“that was my cousin,” mark says, finally realizing that donghyuck has no idea what just happened. “he runs this place, or at least that’s what his job title is. i don’t actually know what he does all day.”

“you guys seem close,” donghyuck says, because he can’t think of any other reaction. _minhyung?_

“hardly,” mark replies, disgusted. “don’t think about what he says too much, half of it is nonsense.”

donghyuck isn’t convinced. “he seemed nice though.”

“you don’t know him well eno-” he stops when donghyuck steps into his personal space and starts to fix his collar. it’s been bothering him all day.

donghyuck drags a hand down his chest without thinking after he finishes. he can feel mark’s heart drumming against chest. he knows he shouldn’t be doing this, that he’s in no position to be touching mark like that, but he thinks of his shy smile in the car and that laugh, and they morph into invitations in his mind. “let’s relax and take it easy this weekend, alright?”

mark takes a single step back, redness blooming along his exposed neck. he looks so much prettier like this. “i’ll try.”

 

mark falls asleep early that night, leaving donghyuck to his own devices.

it’s too late to go out, so he opts to get lost inside the massive hotel and awkwardly brushing away the staff recognizing him as mark’s assistant and asking him if he needs anything.

there aren’t many n city hotels, it could hardly be called a chain. donghyuck only knows that the one he’s in was the first of four around korea, built by mark’s grandfather almost forty years ago.

donghyuck hates so much about his job, the long hours and the silence and the cold corporate environment, but as he looks out to the sleepy island, he thinks that he likes it here a lot. mark took his words to heart and tried his best not to look irritated as they spent the rest of the day with his eccentric cousin, and although donghyuck was surprised he finds it cute that he takes his advice so seriously. it’s like trying to tame a lion cub.

he soon finds himself at the bar, and who else could be there other than kim jungwoo.

“minhyung is different around you,” he says, taking the seat right next to his. donghyuck is already wishing he followed mark and went to bed. “i’ve never even seen him smile around any of his staff before.”

pride swells in donghyuck’s chest. _none of them forcefully tried to feed him jjajangmyeon._ “it wasn’t easy, one time i literally had to scold him into letting me get him dinner.”

jungwoo snorts. “minghyungie’s as stubborn as ever, i’m not surprised.”

“why do you call him that?”

jungwoo blinks at him. “what, minhyung? that’s his name!”

due to the nature of his job, donghyuck has full access to mark’s personal information and identification. none of them have the name minhyung listed anywhere. “it is?”

“i guess he legally changed it after he ran off to america,” jungwoo hums to himself. “it’s his birth name, chosen by our grandmother. lee minhyung.”

that’s a lot to take in. donghyuck was curious about the reason why doyoung had a korean name while mark didn’t, but he never considered the possibility that he had chosen the name for himself. the dots in his head are connecting: his hatred for his brother, his detachment from the people around him, and now this. it paints the first strokes of a pretty complicated picture.

jungwoo catches his surprised reaction and smiles mysteriously. “you seem really interested in our family’s history. come on, i’ll show you something cool.”

he takes donghyuck’s hand and leads him across the lobby and down a flight of wooden stairs. everything’s visibly different in the basement level, untouched by the years of development and renovation. jungwoo takes a key and opens a door at the end of a narrow hall. despite the outdated aura and aging furniture, the office he takes him into is spotlessly clean, clearly being taken care of by someone.

“our late grandfather’s office,” jungwoo explains. “he was really attached to the resort and would come down here a lot. his final years were all spent in jeju.”

“i–i’m so sorry–”

“it’s fine! i’m just trying to show you how much this place means to us,” he laughs. “doyoung, minhyung, and i used to spend our summers playing here when we were kids. it’s still weird to have it all to myself now, without them here.”

donghyuck feels a pang of guilt. from mark’s description and the way he was dressed, he assumed jungwoo was just some spoiled asshole without a real job. his sad but fond smile as he absently tidied up his grandfather’s desk told a different story.

“it must have been really fun,” donghyuck says. he can’t imagine what it must be like, most of his vacations were spent playing video games with jisung at home. “growing up on a beautiful island.”

“the best time of my life.” jungwoo points to the wall of framed photos behind the desk. “see here? history of our family.”

donghyuck moves to take a closer look. his eyes scan the faces until they land on a familiar one at the bottom row. little baby mark hiding behind a slightly taller boy (doyoung?) as their picture is taken, labeled _1998_. right next to it is _1999_ , and mark is still clinging to his brother. as the years pass the distance between them grows until they’re standing on either side of jungwoo with identical stone expressions on _2009_. the pictures stop after that.

jungwoo seems interested in something else though. “oh, look! this one was taken right here. it’s my aunt’s first weddi–” he freezes when he realizes what he just said.

“ _first_ wedding?”

“yeah, yeah! it became a bit of a family tradition to get married here,” he ignores what donghyuck is really asking. “do you wanna know a little secret?”

donghyuck’s heart skips a beat. “yes?”

“doyoung and jaehyun are having their wedding at the resort. it’s happening next year,” jungwoo whispers, expecting a big reaction from donghyuck.

“oh, wow,” donghyuck replies, trying his best to sound interested. right. mark’s brother is getting married. is mark invited? are _they_ invited? meeting doyoung for the first time at his wedding sounds like a fucking nightmare.

“you seem tired and it’s getting really late,” jungwoo says quickly, sensing his discomfort. “you should head back.”

 

mark is up and dressed when he wakes up the next morning. he’s sitting by the balcony with a glass of water, watching the beautiful but static scenery ahead.

donghyuck feels weird having all that new knowledge, all these memories that mark never shared with him himself.

they might have separate rooms on opposite ends of the suite, but it’s still strange for a director and his assistant to be sharing it in the first place, right? it’s like stepping into mark’s private space and he has to shrink himself as much as he can to not intrude. he hates it, donghyuck has a presence with the magnitude of the entire solar system, he can’t turn himself into a fly on the wall.

he takes the seat next to mark, who barely reacts to him being there.

“you still look tired,” donghyuck remarks. the darkness under his eyes has gotten worse.

“i couldn’t sleep well. something about this place makes me really uncomfortable,” he says vaguely, but donghyuck has a slight idea of what he means by that. “also, what do you mean _still_?”

“it’s clear as day, mark lee,” donghyuck replies, surprised by how easily the full name rolls of his tongue. “i’ve never seen you yawn before yesterday.”

“i’m not sure if i’m easy to read or if you’re just good at reading me.”

how could mark say that when he has spent the past couple of months trying to figure him out? but donghyuck thinks back to what johnny said about him having two emotions and realizes that he’s made more progress than most. “pretty sure it’s the latter,” he says with a grin.

“that’s a little scary,” mark jokes, the tension on his face slightly fading.

“i don’t know what’s going on but, you’re going to be fine,” donghyuck says, heart thumping. he also doesn’t know where the confidence of his assertion comes from but something tells him it’s absolutely true.

mark turns to meet his eyes. “i think i will be.”

 

mark doesn’t yawn again that day.

but he’s different when they introduce themselves to the guests at the company owned golf course.

“i’m donghyuck, it’s great to have you here mr. kang,” donghyuck says in his best attempt at english. his hours of practice with yangyang are being put to the test.

daniel kang shakes his hand enthusiastically. he reminds donghyuck of a hyperactive golden retriever. “i’m excited to be here!” he replies in korean. or not.

he waits for mark to say something, and then nudges him when he doesn’t. “right,” mark clears his throat. “sorry doyoung couldn’t be here too, things are pretty hectic back in seoul.”

“it is unfortunate,” daniel’s boss, an unimpressed middle aged man, agrees. “we’ll make do for today though.”

it hits donghyuck that mark is acting different because this isn’t like their usual meetings. when he’s in a meeting room, mark is laser focused and confident, and donghyuck often struggles to keep up with his pace. but having to socialize, especially in a place with so much personal baggage, is clouding his mind.

“rather than unfortunate, i think it’s a great opportunity to get to know the second son of the lee family,” donghyuck says, irritated. “he keeps a low profile but his influence on the company is immeasurable.”

mark gives him a _what the fuck are you doing?_ look. donghyuck thinks _just trust me and let me handle this_ and prays mark can read his thoughts.

that seems to catch the man’s attention, because he’s finally bothering to look mark in the eyes. “let’s hear more about it then.”

mark sticks close to him for the rest of the morning, but as donghyuck charms the executives, he slowly emerges back from his cocoon.

“i’d love to go to vietnam with you guys,” daniel says, enamored by them both. “i mean, just for fun. if you’re fine taking a vacation with your boss.”

mark looks at him expectantly, a little nervousness tinged in his eyes. “i can’t think of a better way to spend my vacation,” he says. it’s not really a lie. he’s a little concerned that it isn’t.

“thank you,” he says when daniel’s attention is turned away from them.

“for earlier?” donghyuck asks. he was just doing his job, helping mark be the best version of himself, and if he’s being completely honest, he’s frustrated that not everyone can see what an incredibly hard worker mark is. he wants to be his personal pr department, his social media manager.

“no, for this entire weekend,” mark explains. “i felt bad dragging you along here with me when you already stay back late almost every day, but now i can’t imagine what it would have been like if you weren’t here, donghyuck.”

he slips his hand into donghyuck’s and squeezes it, only for a brief second before letting go. small, shy, subtle. just like mark. but donghyuck’s entire body feels like it just caught on fire.

they head back to the hotel a few hours later for lunch with jungwoo, and donghyuck’s so busy chatting up daniel (who seemingly laughs at every single thing he says), that he doesn’t notice the person talking to jungwoo until it’s too late.

his head shoots in their direction and he smiles brightly when he spots mark, showing off the set of dimples donghyuck would instantly recognize anywhere. he spent too much stalking doyoung’s instagram feed not to.

jungwoo bears the burden of initiating awkward introductions. “everyone, this is jung jaehyun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for ending it like this BUT the new chapter is coming sooner than usual i promise!!
> 
> let's talk on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


	5. Chapter 5

jung jaehyun has many talents. he’s an accomplished equestrian, graduated with honors from an ivy league school in the us, completely transformed jung industries in the few years since he started working under his father, and rumor has it he has a heavenly voice that only comes out during karaoke sessions after he’s had way too many drinks.

donghyuck has read so many tabloid articles about him, and they somehow all failed to mention his arguably most important talent.

he can make anyone fall in love with him with a single glance.

“it was  _ supposed _ to be a secret,” jaehyun throws a threatening glare towards jungwoo. “but it’s always been doyoung’s dream to get married here. he’s all about family traditions, i feel like i’m about to marry an old man sometimes.” even through his complaining he sounds so  _ fond _ that even donghyuck’s heart flutters. all the rumors that these two are getting married for appearances and status are squashed right then and there.

“jaehyun was about to buy him a castle in his european country of choosing,” jungwoo continues. “but doyoung said– oh my god tell them what doyoung said.”

he and jungwoo seem close, sitting together at lunch and occasionally whispering among each other. there is this sort of familiarity between them that is completely absent when either of them interact with mark. mark’s disdain for his cousin suddenly makes a lot more sense.

jaehyun looks embarrassed, and donghyuck could swear that everyone at the table follows the tiny dip of his head as he retells the rest of the conversation. he has everyone captivated. “he said i’m already marrying a prince, a castle would be kind of an overkill.”

donghyuck’s jaw drops, mark rolls his eyes, and daniel starts clapping.

“you guys haven’t met doyoung! my fiance–” the corners of his lips twitch up as he says that word. “he was just making fun of me, of the embarrassing nickname used in the media.”

“doyoung lays a thick layer of sarcasm over every compliment he makes, it’s how he shows affection,” jungwoo counters. “the more mocking he sounds, the more sincere he is. when i first started working here he said it made sense because i was too pretty to ever hold a real job. that was the first time he complimented my looks, i had tears in my eyes.”

donghyuck is too absorbed in the novelty of hearing real personal anecdotes about lee doyoung after months of silence about him that he doesn’t notice what’s happening right next to him. the anger brewing up and threatening to explode.

“it’s really endearing,” jaehyun sighs. “how he tries to be this stern idiot even though he’s incapable of withholding compliments. he has too much love in his ice cold heart for that.”

mark suddenly stands up. “excuse me,” he says roughly before throwing his napkin on the table and walking out of the restaurant. awkward silence falls on the rest of the group. jaehyun covers his mouth like he just got caught swearing, while jungwoo slouches back into his seat. they both have the decency to look guilty about what just happened. it’s not like donghyuck knows any of these people well enough yet, but what did jungwoo think was going to come out of withholding the fact that jaehyun was going to be there the same weekend for wedding related business? 

daniel and his boss exchange confused looks while donghyuck weighs his options. the choice he has to make is easy. he bows to each one of them apologetically before running after mark. 

he’s already back at their suite, shakily making himself a cup of coffee. donghyuck frowns, he’s barely eaten anything at lunch as it is.

“are you alright?” donghyuck asks as he takes over, pushing him aside to work the machine, making it exactly the way mark likes.

“sorry for leaving you back there donghyuck, that was really childish of me, i–” mark rubs his temple, looking like he has the world’s entire weight sitting on his shoulders. he collapses on the couch. “i just really don’t want to be here.”

the obvious solution immediately pops into donghyuck’s mind. “let’s not be here then.”

“what?”

“i mean, if you don’t want to be here, let’s leave the resort. we’ve been in jeju for almost two days and we didn’t get the chance to do any fun touristy things. let’s go.” he hands the cup back to mark and picks up the phone to dial reception. “i’m going to get us a car.”

 

“you’re driving?” mark asks, and donghyuck is offended by the vague panic in his voice.

“why are you surprised that a twenty three year old has a driving licence?” 

mark fastens his belt on the passenger seat. “i don’t know, i just figured that since you come to work via the subway….”

mark knows how he takes the subway every morning? he’s pretty sure he’s never mentioned it before. weird. kinda creepy. very sweet.

“buying a car is a waste of money, a concept that you’re not familiar with.” ugh, that came out wrong. “sorry, i just mean it’s kinda pointless to get one at the moment and i barely just got a full time job–”

mark nods, understanding. “no, i get it. i’m sorry too.”

even after being exposed to his real placid nature, donghyuck’s expectations are always subverted when mark speaks to him. he still has a lot to get used to, and today is the perfect opportunity to do it.

“where should we go then?” donghyuck asks as he starts to drive out of the resort grounds. “i’ve never been here before and– well, you clearly have.”

“what do you mean? this was all your idea! just go wherever you like.” 

“i didn’t think this through,” donghyuck starts panicking a little. he’s literally kidnapping his boss and driving off into the wilderness. “fuck, maybe we should just turn back.”

“no way, i’d rather die than spend another minute with my future brother-in-law and annoying cousin.”

“i’m much better company,” donghyuck jokes. he starts to relax a little. as long as they’re still driving on a paved road they’re going to be okay.

“you are,” mark agrees. “you really are, donghyuck.”

he can’t just say that. he can’t just say things like that and not expect donghyuck to swoon. he can’t expect donghyuck not to feel more attached to him the more he opens up, his delicate petals slowly blooming to reveal the kind of person he really is. it’s so beautiful, and it leaves donghyuck hungry for more.

“tell me something then,” he begins, heart in his throat. they’re stuck in a car together and there is no way for mark to avoid his questions now. donghyuck can ignore the possibility that mark simply does not like  _ him _ because he has concrete confirmation that it’s not true. “why do you close yourself off to people? why do you refuse to let anyone be your friend?”

mark leans into the window (away from donghyuck), and he stays silent for so long that donghyuck gives up hope that he’ll ever answer. 

“from the minute i was born, people would always look at me and only see a name. i was never just a person, i never got the chance to be present myself as just  _ mark _ instead of the face of my family’s wealth and status. everywhere i went, but especially at school. i felt like i stuck out like a sore thumb, and no one would ever talk to me unless they wanted something, and eventually i stopped trusting anyone long enough to let them disappoint me. i changed my name because i couldn’t take it anymore. only my family keeps using the old one, like you saw jungwoo do earlier.” donghyuck has never heard mark say so many words at once before. it was exhilarating. “of course, i’ve inherited an insane amount of money most people wouldn’t see in their lifetime, so this little inconvenience is only a small price i have to pay.”

“that’s not fair,” donghyuck says, frustrated. “you’re kind, you’re hardworking, and most importantly i can tell that you care, so strongly, with every fiber of your being. it’s not fair that there is no one out there who’s showing you appreciation, giving you the love you deserve.”

donghyuck has so many doubts about this job sometimes and if this is where he wants to be in life, but when he looks at mark those voices in his head turn into whispers. he wouldn’t still be here if it wasn't for mark. they were really brought together by some divine forces and one very persistent nakamoto yuta.

mark doesn’t look too upset. he already made peace with his choices. and also: “you’re here now.”

“i am. friends?” donghyuck asks. redundant, but he just has to make sure.

“definitely friends.”

 

they drive aimlessly for hours, neither of them bothering to choose a destination or opening a navigation app. there is nothing except mark, donghyuck, the lush greenery, and the old ballads playing on the radio.

the best part about it is that once mark starts talking, he never stops.

“i can’t believe yuta kept this from me,” he complains as he takes a handful of chips from the bag they bought at a nearby rest stop. “i trusted him and he stabbed me in the back. i expect this from johnny– maybe taeyong, but fucking  _ yuta _ ?”

“do you and yuta even have any real conversations that don’t involve work and the occasional offhand comment asking if you’ve lost weight?”

“he tells me stuff when it’s my business, and i think fucking my cousin counts as my business.”

“they make a nice couple,” donghyuck shrugs. he’s a big believer of these opposites attract things. sometimes two people are so wrong for each other that they fit just right.

“you don’t have to do that,” mark waves a crumb filled hand. 

“do what exactly?”

“play nice, just say what’s on your mind. that’s my favorite thing about you.” it’s infuriating how he does not take a second to consider how his words might come out before saying them. donghyuck’s hands tighten around the wheel.

“i’m not playing nice, not when it’s just me and you and this bag of chips in the car. i really think they’re cute. if you like my honesty you’re gonna have to accept that i won’t always say what you want me to hear.”

“fair enough. i wish i could be like that too,” he replies wistfully.

“like you have no brain to word filter? it’s not as fun as it sounds.”

“don’t talk about yourself like that.” mark sounds irritated. like,  _ don’t interrupt me while i’m being nice to you _ . “brave, impulsive, speaking your mind. i was raised to over analyze every word before saying it. everything has to be calculated. you’d think they were raising a machine not a child.”

his family sounds like a nightmare. “my mother taught me that if you keep your emotions buried they’re going to ball up inside of you and burn a hole in your stomach. never kept a thought inside my head since then.”

mark laughs really hard at that, and a smile slowly spreads across donghyuck’s face. he loves that sound so much. “i’ll keep that in my mind whenever i’m feeling particularly emotionally constipated.”

“she also says that’s where the term comes from.”

“sounds scientific.”

“it is now, according to me.”

mark is laughing again, and donghyuck is so preoccupied with how he cute he looks when his entire face crumbles under a fit of giggles that he doesn’t notice the grunting noises the car is making.

“how are you so easily amused? if i said half of the things i say to you to my roommates i’ll have an arm squeezing around my neck.” renjun loves to resort to violence at every mild inconvenience that donghyuck causes him. it must be the lack of sleep.

“i am not,” mark replies, blushing a little. even cuter. “you’re just really funny.” 

he tries really hard to maintain a straight face for the next minute, and donghyuck bites his bottom lip to stifle the laugh threatening to come out.

“i will accept  _ that _ compliment.”

mark nods. “a wise choice.”

he thinks it’s funny how they’re both so curious about each other, as if they’re meeting from two entirely different universes. how mark took two tentative steps and then leaped right into his arms. it drives him crazy how no one else ever tried hard enough to get to know mark long enough to reach this point. 

the car grunts again, and this time he actually notices. “do you hear that?” mark says, starting to panic a little.

there is nothing ahead of them except for a winding road that leads deeper into the mountains. what’s worse is that it’s going to get dark very soon. donghyuck slows down and checks his phone. no service. fuck. “get out of the car.”

“we’re going to die here aren’t we. shit shit shit.”

“stop freaking out!” donghyuck says to him even though he’s equally worried. “i can’t believe they gave us a broken car. it almost feels like a setup. jaehyun must have done this, you can’t trust those dimples.”

“i don’t particularly like my future brother-in-law, but he does not have the capacity for murder,” mark murmurs. donghyuck is surprised, he was mostly joking, and coming to jaehyun’s defense is the last thing he expected mark to do. 

they decide to walk and follow the signs until they either find another person or have a strong enough signal to call for help. there is a very real possibility of them getting murdered, but donghyuck thinks that if he could talk himself into the largest corporation in south korea, then he can definitely talk a serial killer into letting them live. he already decided to use mark’s fortune as an incentive. 

“you know, this is just like that one scene in superhumans,” mark says suddenly. donghyuck slowly turns to look at him like he just grew three heads.

“in  _ what _ ?”

“superhumans, the comic book series?” his eyes are suddenly alert, and he looks ready to launch into a full explanation of what superhumans is. a little scary.

“yeah, i’m familiar. i’m more surprised that you are.”

“what’s that supposed to mean? you think i don’t know anything except work?”

yes. maybe. kinda. “of course not, i just didn’t take you to be such a nerd.”

“lee donghyuck i am your boss,” mark tries to say sternly, but his voice cracks at the last syllable. a lion cub trying to roar for the first time.

“we’re friends on vacation in jeju island,” donghyuck corrects. “and that was part of the donghyuck honesty package.”

“i’m not sure i like it so much right now,” mark pouts. he actually  _ pouts _ . it’s equally hilarious and adorable how quickly he dropped the angry act and went straight to being a fucking baby.

“nah, you like me,” he replies confidently. it feels nice to not only confirm the suspicion he had since mark sent him the clothes, but to proclaim it proudly in front of him, dangle it in front of him like a prize he finally earned.

“and you like me,” mark states obviously. a good defense, he’s got him there. “even though i don’t have dimples for you to fixate on.” 

donghyuck hums. “sure, but you’re something better than a prince.”

“what’s that?” marks asks, eyes wide in anticipation.

“a superhuman,” he says sincerely, only priding himself in that compliment for a split second before realizing how cheesy it’s sounds. regret slowly floods in. 

“if you’re gonna keep making fun of me i’m going to leave you here to die alone,” mark says with a huff as he quickens his pace to get away from him. donghyuck follows, laughing breathlessly.

“i was being serious,” he says, trying to ignore his burning urge to tease mark even more just to squeeze these reactions out of him. “princes get shit handed to them, superhumans have an unnatural amount of resilience and drive to be better and do better. what’s that famous quote? heroes are not born–”

“they are made,” mark finishes for him. “thank you.”

“i meant it,” donghyuck confirms again.

they slow their pace before stopping completely, looking at each other as the sun sets behind the mountain ahead, bathing all the leaves on all the trees in its golden glow. and to donghyuck mark is a different person than he was a few hours ago, a lot brighter and also a lot softer. the cracks in his hard exterior are gaping holes. he thinks mark is going to hold his hand again. he wants him to.

then, donghyuck’s phone rings.

“where the fuck are you?” it’s yuta’s voice. a very angry yuta.

“j–jeju?” he sputters, knowing that’s not the right answer. because it’s yuta’s voice coming from jungwoo’s number.

“send me your exact location and do not fucking move. i’ll send someone to come get you within the hour.”

it’s seven in the evening when they arrive back at the resort. yuta is pacing around the lobby, jungwoo is watching him distractedly, and jaehyun is gone as mysteriously as he arrived. good, maybe jungwoo finally learned his lesson about letting in unwanted guests.

yuta is ready to explode as soon as he spots donghyuck but mark doesn’t give him the chance to. “if you threaten my personal assistant, you’ll be gone first.”

“of course mark,” yuta says, barely restraining himself. “i was just worried about you. i rushed here the moment i heard you were gone.”

donghyuck feels bad, because despite both of them insisting that it’s a purely business relationship, he can see how much yuta cares about him– or at least tries to, on a personal level. it’s not just about the bottom line for him. also, he completely deserves to get chewed out for his reckless idea.

“the important thing is that everyone is here, completely safe!” jungwoo chirps in, putting both hands on yuta’s shoulders, and yuta visibly relaxes at the gesture. donghyuck’s theory about romance holds true. “right, yuta?”

a little bit of his motives to come down here must have had with someone other than mark.

“sure, everything’s fine,” yuta says, giving in. he still glares at donghyuck though. “for now.”

“thanks for that,” donghyuck whispers to mark later.

“now we’re even,” he replies easily, bumping his shoulder lightly.

when donghyuck is finally back in his own bed the next night, he thinks that this must have been one of the best weekends of his entire life.

he falls asleep thinking about how beautiful mark’s eyes looked under the jeju sunset. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new chapter up next friday ♡
> 
> let's talk on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


	6. Chapter 6

for the first time in a while, donghyuck can truly and confidently say that he is happy.

“are you humming?” johnny asks, horrified. no one should look this chipper while scheduling meetings.

“he’s been like that since the trip to jeju,” taeyong starts.

“and he refuses to tell us what happened,” taeil finishes for him.

“because nothing happened, and is humming in the office not allowed?” donghyuck replies, shields raised high up.

why won’t his nosy coworkers let him be? what is he supposed to tell them anyway, that mark has a crazy cousin and that he met jung fucking jaehyun and oh, oh yeah, he kidnapped mark and almost got them both killed? some details are best kept in the dark. a tiny little part of him also wants to keep some things a secret that only he and mark know about. 

“it should be,” kun says. “i can barely hear myself think.”

donghyuck sighs and stands up, documents and phone in hand. briefing mark is the best part of every morning. or at least it has been recently. “you can take it up with mark then.”

kun opens his mouth and then shuts it tight. a smug smile spreads across donghyuck’s face, while johnny and taeyong have another one of their silent eye conversations. the difference is now donghyuck is not as intimidated by them, because he feels like he finally found his place in the company.

and it is right behind that door.

“good morning,” he chirps happily like he does every morning, but his happiness is immediately squashed when he sees mark’s face.

or rather, what’s missing from it. it looks hollow and his dark circles have gotten way worse than when they were back in jeju. mark is a shadow of himself, his shoulders slumped down and his eyes are hazy, barely focusing on the screen in front of him. donghyuck has to greet him twice to realize he’s in the room.

“oh. hey. morning. coffee?”

“what?” donghyuck asks. his sentences are missing most words too.

“good morning,” mark tries again. “could you grab me some coffee? i forgot to buy it on my way in.”

“you need a lot more than coffee,” he replies, immediately getting into overprotective mode. mark has the distinct ability of pushing that alarm in his head so often. “eight hours of sleep? a blanket? a nutritious breakfast?”

“are you going to run down and buy me noodles again?” mark wonders. the bobbing of his adam’s apple tells donghyuck that he’s hoping he would.

“you want to eat jjajangmyeon right _now_?” and donghyuck hates that he’s ready to do that for him. 

“i never said that.”

donghyuck drops the documents on his desk. “sit tight, i’ll be back in a sec.”

he heads to the cafe on the ground floor, where that stupid doyoung video from his interview is still playing on the big screen. donghyuck watches it in a daze and tries to imagine the words _prince_ and _castle_ coming out of his mouth. he can’t.

then donghyuck spends a full minute staring at all the baked goods on display before asking the barista to pack him one of each, and then emphasizing that he’s on an important assignment from director lee when she stares at him in confusion.

“what the hell is that?” mark’s tired eyes follow the food as donghyuck drops it into a pile in front of him.

“wasn’t sure what you liked best,” donghyuck shrugs.

“pain au chocolat,” he says, picking it up and holding it to his face like it’s a rare treasure. “thank you. can we get back to work now?”

“no, there is something important that we need to talk about,” donghyuck says seriously. he loves having a certain level of control over their meetings. mark always gives in, listens to him, and doesn’t fight back. he wonders how he got so lucky sometimes.

“something more important than work?” mark is skeptical.

“yeah, keeping you alive. what did you have before coming in to work?”

mark looks like he’s been cornered. his eyes shift around and he hesitates before answering. “a glass of water.”

“water is not food. and last night’s dinner?”

“skipped it, too tired.”

donghyuck wants to bash his head on the desk repeatedly. despite his constant pleas, the concept of taking care of yourself just doesn’t come to mark naturally. sometimes he thinks of breaking into his house to make sure he’s actually sleeping at night. 

“you’re driving me crazy,” the words slip out of his mouth without thinking, and the alert look on mark’s face makes him bite his lips and look away. “that’s it, i’m coming to save you.”

“you’re going to what? to _where_?”

“i’m coming over to make you dinner,” donghyuck thinks about that for a second. “i’m coming over to show you how to make dinner.”

“i don’t have anything in my fridge!” mark protests. he doesn’t explicitly tells him no. that’s a good start.

“we’ll stop for groceries first then,” donghyuck winks. “let’s go over your schedule for the week.”

 

mark takes the lead (for once) and drives them into an upscale supermarket in the heart of yongsan that screams pretentious to donghyuck from the moment he steps in, with its jazzy music, low lights, sleek black walls, and expensive squeaky clean wooden floor. worst of all, it’s located in the basement of a neo department store. because of course it is.

“that lemon looks like it thinks it’s too good to be eaten by me,” donghyuck whispers to mark as they pass by the fresh produce section. “is this where you always come to buy your groceries? because holy fuck.”

mark scratches the back of his neck self consciously. “i wouldn't say always, i only come here like once a month. whenever i remember to, which as you can obviously see isn't often.”

donghyuck sighs as he shoves the too-good-for-him lemon into a plastic bag. “you are a walking disaster mark lee, what were you doing before i came along?”

mark looks at him seriously. “i honestly don't know.”

that shuts donghyuck’s big mouth up quickly. he forgets whatever smart remark he had prepared and blinks at him. they must have stood there and stared at each other for far too long, because an employee clears her throat and makes them both jump.

“sorry sir, this isn't a self service area,” she says, looking embarrassed to be interrupting whatever moment they were having. “just tell me which vegetables you’d like and i’ll wrap them up for you.” 

“there is really no nee-”

“i insist,” the woman cuts him off with a forced smile. she takes the bag out of donghyuck’s hand and starts loading it up while he points at the ones he likes. “is it your first time here, sir? i’ve seen your husband around before but you’re a fresh face. i take it he must be the one who does all the housework then?”

mark’s face turns into many different shades that morph into a pretty pink. “his wha-”

“not a chance,” donghyuck scoffs, cutting him off before he could ruin whatever fun he could have with this misunderstanding. “i’m the one who cooks everything, he would be totally dead without me.”

she laughs, satisfied by his answer. he can’t blame her for making that assumption. there are no rings on their fingers but they’ve obviously both just came here from work and now they’re bickering over a pile of lemons. the image of domesticity. 

she reminds him so much of the old woman from the open air market next to his house. that seems like a hundred years ago now, far away like a distant memory.

“oh my, is that boy giving you a hard time?”

donghyuck turns on his sad puppy eyes and nods. “god, he’s impossible sometimes. i have no idea where his mind travels to, but i always take charge. in the kitchen and elsewhere.”

she covers her mouth, scandalized, while mark tries to stutter out a defense before settling on giving donghyuck’s shoulder a good smack. it doesn’t exactly help his case.

“you better take good care of him now,” she says, handing the bags back to him. 

“what was that all about?” mark is smiling. he is trying to match donghyuck’s pace as he zooms away with his cart full of fresh vegetables.

“isn’t it fun?” donghyuck asks, a little confident, mostly nervous. “playing house.”

“umhmm,” mark replies, distracted. “you’re not asking what i’d like this time.”

he’s right. donghyuck never consulted him before choosing any of the fruits and vegetables, spices, and dairy. mark following behind him cluelessly makes him feel like he made the right decision.

“because, if you weren’t lying about your kitchen being empty, i need to start building up your pantry with some essentials so you could make multiple basic meals without having to go back here and wandering like a kid who lost sight of his mom at the frozen foods section.”

“not sure if i should feel grateful or offended.”

“you could start by kissing my feet,” donghyuck suggests. he stops by the bakery and throws in everything with a chocolate stuffing into the cart. his mental database of mark’s likes and dislikes is quickly growing. soon he won’t have to guess or waste money buying everything.

“some marriage this is,” mark settles into his absent husband role quite well. it’s almost unsettling. “where are the divorce papers?”

donghyuck’s eyes drop down. well, not that further down. “i’ll consider signing them after i get the monster in your belly to stop growling.”

 

donghyuck would be lying if he said that he didn’t think a lot about what mark’s place must look like. it’s obvious enough that he lives alone, and his imagination built up this image of a huge but mostly empty mansion that is devoid of life and where you can hear the sound of your echo in every room.

so it’s easy to imagine his surprise when mark parked into high rise building just a few minutes away from the supermarket and pressed the penthouse button inside the elevator. 

“you don’t live in a big house inside a gated community?”

mark looks at him like he’s an idiot. he feels like an idiot. “am i supposed to?”

“i–i– don’t know i just figured why wouldn’t you, since you could.”

the elevator finally pings, and they both step out. it reminds donghyuck of the time he walked into the twenty seventh floor for the first time, except this time mark is voluntarily welcoming him into his world. “it would be pointless for someone who lives alone,” mark continues. “plus, i feel more comfortable in smaller, cozier spaces. makes me feel more at home, you know?”

donghyuck nods, with no idea of what to expect from that explanation. 

the first thing he notices when mark welcomes him inside is the view of the han river, turning soft hues of purple against the quickly darkening orange sky, and he immediately understands why he chose this place. the second thing he notices is the sheer amount of books mark owns. an entire wall has been turned into a large library.

but the most striking thing about mark’s home is how different it is from every other neo property he’s stepped into so far. it’s more like mark’s grandfather’s office than the presidential suite they shared: warm earthly colors and well worn furniture. truly a place that looks like it’s been loved by its inhabitants.

it’s also messy but that’s one thing he’s not surprised by.

mark stands around helplessly while donghyuck empties the contents of the grocery bags into the kitchen cabinets. he really wasn’t lying, they’re all barren and donghyuck’s pretty sure they’ve never been used before. 

“i can do this by myself, don’t worry about it,” donghyuck says, getting fed up with mark  breathing down his neck.

“but i want to he–”

“go!”

mark is still skeptical but he complies and heads to his bedroom.

the faint sound of the lock turning makes donghyuck realize that he’s really here. standing all alone in the middle of mark’s kitchen. mark’s apartment. he feels a little lightheaded, the entire place smells like his usual cologne, it’s just as endearingly messy, and the sight of his blazer thrown over the couch makes his chest ache in a way he can’t explain or justify to himself. he tells himself it’s satisfaction from finally having his curiosity satisfied, with a tiny mixture of inexplicable happiness. that strange ache only intensifies when he hears the shower running. he hops over to the tv and puts on a rerun of his favorite drama to drown out the sound. donghyuck is embarrassed by how distracted he is by it, and for letting his imagination run wild over a fucking sound.

mark emerges from his room fifteen minutes later, and donghyuck’s heart stops.

it might as well be a completely different person from neo group’s director lee. he changed into an oversized pink hoodie over pajama pants, his wet black hair messily falls over his forehead instead of being styled and pushed back, and he’s wearing glasses.

_glasses._

donghyuck thinks it’s the cutest person he’s ever seen in his entire life, especially as he curls up on the couch and checks his phone, tapping with fingers that are barely sticking out of the too long sleeves covering his hands.

he almost forgets why he’s here in the first place until mark looks up, wide eyed and confused. “are you okay?”

he averts his eyes quickly, feeling like a total weirdo for staring. but god he just can’t help it. has mark been this adorable the entire time? “‘course i am. come here, you should shadow me while i make dinner.”

mark whistles, looking excited. “what are we having?”

“we?” donghyuck asks stupidly. most of his brain’s functions shut down after being exposed to mark’s glasses.

“a–are you not staying over to eat with me?” mark replies, trying and failing to hide his devastating disappointment. it’s so endearing and the ache in donghyuck’s chest only intensifies. 

and donghyuck loves asking mark obvious questions just to hear the answer. “do you want me to?”

“i’m happy you’re here,” mark mumbles shyly. “now can we go back to my original question?”

donghyuck clears his throat, and more importantly, his head. “right, i thought hard about this and decided to show you the first recipe my mother ever taught me when i was kid. kimchi fried rice!”

“hey! are you calling me a kid?” 

“you’re at kid level right now, so we’re not going to get too ambitious. also, i make this for my roommates all the time and they love it. just trust me.” 

“fine,” mark says, not enjoying getting babied. if only he knew how much donghyuck is holding back right now.

he has mark heat up his barely used pan while he cuts up the ingredients. “it’s as simple as throwing in the ingredients and mixing them together,” donghyuck instructs softly. 

choosing an easy dish he’s made a hundred times back home proves to be beneficial for him too, because it’s hard to focus when mark looks at him like he’s a goddamn superhero for knowing how to stir rice and kimchi.

mark struggles when donghyuck lets him have a go, clearly overthinking a very simple hand motion, and watching him makes donghyuck understand how he fucked up a fried egg.

he clings into mark’s back and grabs his wrist to guide him through it, his body feels impossibly warm and his damp hair smells like lavender. they’ve never been this close before, but everything about him right now is so inviting, and mark doesn’t seem to mind, his sole focus being the fried rice.

“you’re doing fine,” he assures him, trying to ease his nerves. “and it’s your first time, it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

“tell me if i start to burn it,” mark replies, leaning back into him. donghyuck starts to short circuit again.

he lets out a shaky laugh. “it’s not burned, looks and smells pretty fucking delicious actually.”

“thanks to you,” mark turns his head to look at him, his glasses fogging up a bit.

“yeah,” donghyuck smiles. “thanks to me.”

and as he closes his eyes in bliss after taking the first bite, donghyuck feels a lot more than that rush of serotonin whenever his loved ones eat something he’s made for them. maybe he’s still not used to how mark looks like now, maybe it’s the fact that he looks younger and more vulnerable, or maybe he’s just that happy that mark has opened himself up to him completely. 

“you like it?” donghyuck asks eagerly.

“it tastes like a warm hug,” mark sighs. “it tastes like a hot bath after a long day at work, it tastes like home, it tastes li–”

“alright, alright, i get it.”

“i am going to make this every single night,” he continues, determination lighting fire in his eyes.

“no way,” donghyuck protests. did he teach him nothing? did mark forget everything the moment he tasted his life changing fried rice? “this is only a starting point, i’m going to send you a collection of simple recipes. if you need any help, you can just call me!”

mark doesn’t like this plan. “can’t you come over and make me dinner every night?” he only sounds like he’s half joking.

“i don’t think that’s covered by my salary.” donghyuck puts his own dish in the sink and turns his attention elsewhere. the library has been distracting him since he stepped foot into the apartment, especially since mark never mentioned reading to him before.

he’s expecting books about economics and business management, maybe some self help stuff thrown into the mix. all the boring essentials.

but as he scans the titles he makes a striking realization: they’re all science fiction, fantasy, or crime novels. some of them aren’t even books, mark also has a big collection of sci-fi movie and tv show dvds. and most impressive of all is the number of comic books he owns. some of them are so obscure even donghyuck hasn’t heard of them. although to be fair, he can’t recognize anything that doesn’t come with a blockbuster movie adaption.

“wow, you really are a nerd,” donghyuck says as he picks up a collector’s edition copy of the first book in the cult technology series. 

mark, who got caught up in the drama playing on the tv, is horrified when he notices him snooping. “t–that’s– there is nothing nerdy about sitting down with a good book once in a while!”

he’s so embarrassed by and donghyuck is internally mentally melting by how cute he is, and it only makes him want to tease mark even more. “there is a certain number of comic books you have to own to be considered a nerd, and i think you passed it a very long time ago.”

“these books have sold millions of copies worldwide! they have mass appeal!”mark snatches the book from his hand and delicately puts it back in place. it’s fine by donghyuck though, because he’s already searching for something else to tease him for.

his eyes land on a dusty set of books in the bottom shelf, the titles indicate that they’re mystery books and the typography looks straight out of the eighties at the latest. what draws them to him however is neither of those things, it’s the two words at the bottom of their spines.

_S &M PUBLISHING_

his heart is pounding, could it really be–? donghyuck steals a glace at mark, who is still fretting over his prized collector items, before taking one and opening the first page just to make sure his hunch is correct.

sure enough, the title page of the book has the words _sun & moon publishing house _ in bold letters.

“mark,” he calls out nervously. he can’t help but ask again. he has to know. “what’s sun and moon?”

mark looks even more startled than he did earlier. donghyuck starts to worry about giving his boss a heart attack. “what the hell are you looking at?”

the response is discouraging, but he pushes on. “these old books, they’re from sun and moon. just like the binder in your office.”

mark sighs in defeat. “god, i can’t believe you still remember that.”

“i should get a raise for being so attentive,” donghyuck grins.

“maybe if you start coming to work earlier,” mark says, taking the book from his hand and blowing the dust on the yellow pages. “fine, i’ll tell you a story.”

donghyuck looks back at the shelves suspiciously. “it better not involve aliens.”

“i’m not your friend renjun, donghyuck.” he’s not the only one who’s overly attentive.

“point taken,” they both move to the couch. mark is still holding the book. “what is this all about?”

mark traces the curvy lines of the title on the cover for a minute before getting into his story. “neo group actually started out as a small business by my great grandfather. can you guess what it was?” donghyuck shakes his head. fuck, is he going to be quizzed on the company’s history now? “a printing press. he struggled for years before turning into a general goods store instead, which started to take off right away. nobody in the family or company likes to talk about it, but i think about that a lot. the humble little printing press run by someone who really had a passion for the written word. sometimes i think that if i didn’t inherit all his hard work, i would have ended up in the exact same place.”

it makes a lot of sense now. the library and why he would be so fixated over a publishing house. “so sun and moon–”

“is my little side passion project. it’s an old publishing company that saw some moderate success releasing mystery and science fiction novels over twenty years ago, but now they’re struggling and on the verge of shutting down….”

“you want to save them,” donghyuck whispers. not in a million years did he expect the secret to the binder to involve fucking books. mark isn’t a nerd, he’s a supernerd. 

just when he thinks he’s finally figured him out, he springs something new out of the blue that makes donghyuck feel like he’s barely scratched the surface.

“the keyword here is trying,” mark stands up and puts the book back where it belongs. his fingers gently slide through every dusty book in the collection. “i brought it up with doyoung once and he said it was a waste of time, told me to focus on things that actually matter. in other words, things that generate money. as if we don’t already have enough of it to buy a small country.”

“mark…”

“i didn’t listen to his bullshit of course. i’m still working on it, just more discreetly.”

“you mean all alone,” donghyuck corrects, already starting to worry. he can’t keep living like this, depending on himself because he can’t trust anyone for long enough to help. watching him say it so matter-of-factly is so frustrating

“don’t worry about me, donghyuck,” he smiles. “i can handle it.”

donghyuck sees a different mark then. not the hardworking, lonely, too serious and too closed off director. he sees a boy with a soft smile and even softer sensibilities, a boy with big dreams that he holds close to his heart and doesn’t share with the world. he pictures mark growing up with his books as his only real friends, mark putting together the library of his dreams in his apartment, mark pouring over the binder in his office long after everyone had gone home. that stupid ache in his chest only gets worse, and there is a new rose tint clouding his vision whenever he looks at him now. 

 _oh shit_ , donghyuck thinks to himself.

he’s doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for your patience ♡♡♡ updates will slow down a bit next month since im going on vacation but i'll try to write as fast as i can! also im really really happy you guys are enjoying the story so far!
> 
> lets talk more on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! so sorry for the long absence. after i came from vacation i found it difficult to get back into writing for a variety of reasons and couldn't post 2 chapters this month like i originally planned, but i'm hoping i can return to a regular posting schedule soon <3  
> thank you so much for your understanding and kind messages over cc, i really appreciate it.

a week later, donghyuck is in mark’s apartment again.

he doesn’t remember how he got there, but they’re both sitting on the couch, and mark has a glass of wine in his hand. his blazer is thrown aside again and the top button of his crisp white shirt is unbuttoned. his hair is only a little messy and hyuck wants to reach over and run his hands over it, but his grip around his glass tightens instead. none of that matters anyway because his main focus tonight is the pretty blush spreading across mark’s face.

and everything feels so... _warm_. warm enough for donghyuck to sweat underneath his own clothes. 

“you’re telling me you’ve never read a single issue of superhumans? it’s an international sensation,” mark is saying, but only in defense of donghyuck calling him a nerd again. he still hasn’t caught on to the fact that donghyuck only does it because he absolutely adores how cute he looks when he’s embarrassed. almost as cute as his face behind the round glasses. almost.

“i watched the movie, is that not enough? it’s literally the same thing except it’s less of a snoozefest,” he replies, relishing mark’s frustrated eye roll. he’s just so easy. “there are explosions and everything. _boom_.”

mark stares at his distorted reflection in the glass before looking back up at donghyuck, his eyes dark and hazy. “you know i could fire you for this, right?”

donghyuck scoffs at the warning. mark is about as threatening as a very feisty newborn kitten. “you’re never going to fire me. you like me way too much for that.”

he’s used to taunting him now, waving mark’s affection for him around like a hard earned prize, and what he usually gets in return is a quiet, shy, agreement from mark. he doesn’t get that this time though.

mark puts his glass down and drags himself so close to donghyuck he can feel his alcohol stinged breath on his face. it’s like a switch flipped in his head. unbelievably warm. “is that a challenge?”

“m-mark?” his own glass vanishes from his hand. he doesn’t question it, because mark’s wet lips are a breath away from his. 

“director lee,” mark corrects, eyes darker than before. it’s the same voice he put on the one time donghyuck heard him speak to doyoung. it’s also incredibly hot. both physically and metaphorically. did mark bump up the heater without him noticing?

“director lee, i simply meant that your growing affection for me would make it harder for you to let me go over such a minor offense,” he plays along, putting on his professional voice immediately. mark is so work obsessed that it makes sense he would be into donghyuck addressing him by his official title. “was i wrong?”

mark doesn’t respond with words. he instead makes use of the thighs donghyuck spends a little too much time staring at and straddles him. mark stares him down, and donghyuck’s heart shoots into outer space. he hopes mark can’t feel the tightness of his pants until mark grinds against it, forcing a sharp breath out of donghyuck.

their foreheads bump, and donghyuck feels like he’s drowning in sweat. “you’re really pushing your luck, lee donghyuck.”

will mark just kiss him already? donghyuck can’t imagine the humiliation he would go through if he came in his pants when they’ve barely even touched. if he makes the first move himself he might really get fired. or not. he’s not sure what the hell is going on anymore, all he knows is that having mark look down on him like that makes donghyuck want to start unbuckling his belt and do unspeakable things to him.

“i figured that uh,” he settles for fumbling with the second button of mark’s shirt, but it’s hard when mark’s skin feels so hot even against the cotton fabric and his heart is beating so loudly against his chest. it’s all too much and he wishes the stupid shirt could get out of the way. if he’s being completely honest, he’s wishing for that all the time. “i’ve come this far. can’t stop now, right?”

“you’re brave and stupid, and too fucking slow.” mark slaps his hand away, and donghyuck is sure he’s fired now. but he unbuttons the shirt himself. “there.”

donghyuck shuts his eyes and tries not to explode when mark adjusts his position, rolling his hips into him again.

“and what do you want me to do?” donghyuck finally asks, breathing like he just ran a marathon. “director lee.”

mark shrugs and rips off another button. “whatever _you_ want.”

he considers the bulge forming against mark’s pants and how easy it would be to throw him into the couch and having his way with him. _too needy?_ then he looks at mark’s shiny parted lips, but he can’t get himself to do that just yet. he exhales through his nose and pulls on mark’s shirt, bringing him closer to his pretty bare neck. 

“it’s your turn to make breakfast,” mark moans into his ear.

“what?” donghyuck asks, not the slightest bit turned off. 

“come on, donghyuck, you overslept last weekend and i had to ask yangyang for help, it was a disaster.” 

“how did you know about yangyang?” he asks, terrified.

“what are you mumbling about?” mark’s lips are moving but his roommate’s croaky voice is coming out instead. “wake up, you fucking moron.”

donghyuck flutters his eyes and mark’s weight on top of him and his living room disappear, fading into his own bedroom with jaemin standing over him, wearing an apron and a frown.

 

to say donghyuck’s mind is a mess this morning would be an understatement.

“no,” jaemin says firmly.

donghyuck looks up at him, confused. “no, what?”

“no, you’re not going to pour powdered sugar into this pot of stew,” he takes the container out of his hand and stores it in the cupboard above him, away and safe from donghyuck’s hands.

“oh, i didn’t– huh.” donghyuck blinks a couple of times and shakes his head. it’s been a weird week inside his brain. he thought no one else had noticed but the disapproving furrow of jaemin’s eyebrows clearly tell a different story. “sorry, i was thinking about...work.”

does cooking for his boss in his kitchen in his fancy apartment considered work? every time he tries to fix something up for him or his roommates he remembers the warmth of mark’s back, his cute round glasses fogging up, his pink cheeks and shy smile when he looked at donghyuck with nothing but pure admiration and awe.

specifically, not in a way that friends typically look at each other.

and okay, donghyuck might be kind of an idiot, but he’s not stupid enough not to understand that a switch flipped for him that night, that something changed after mark shared his secret with him. he’s been honest with himself about wanting to fuck mark’s brains out since day one, but acknowledging that there might be feelings involved is a much tougher pill to swallow.

and then there are the dreams.

this isn’t the first one he’s had, and it most certainly won’t be the last. how is donghyuck supposed to go to work when he has all these vivid images playing in his head throughout the day? his dream self might not have gotten fired but his real self seems to be heading in that direction.

“are you sick anywhere?” jaemin asks, leaning lightly into the counter. his voice carries a tinge of worry that donghyuck doesn’t hear from him often. the last time jaemin looked this concerned was right before he met jeno’s parents as their son’s boyfriend for the first time. jaemin is supposed to be the one who always his shit together emotionally.

“i’m fine, normal,” donghyuck brushes it away. jaemin’s serious tone makes him feel awkward, and he turns away and pretends to be looking for something in the fridge. “strong enough to hurl you across the room, actually.”

there are a few seconds of tense silence, and then jaemin lets out his terrible exaggerated laughter, a familiar sound that makes donghyuck breathe a sigh of relief. “i’d like to see you try, asshole. if there’s nothing wrong then stop being useless and get out of my kitchen.”

donghyuck finds a questionable looking apple at the back of the second shelf and grabs it before slamming the door. he takes a bite and forces it down the throat despite how disgusting it is. " _ours_. our fucking kitchen, nana,” he spits back but leaves anyway. he’s causing more harm than good by being there. he just needs to sort his shit out and he’ll be back to normal. yeah, that sounds like a solid plan.

the real question is: how the fuck is he supposed to do that?

 

“hey, yangyang.” he invites himself into the room and his voice dips at the last syllable when he hears renjun’s snoring.

“don’t do that,” yangyang says, shrinking away from him.

stupid yangyang and his dramatics. “do what, exactly?” 

“like, call my name out of nowhere. it’s always something bad. it’s like when your mom calls you and you suddenly feel a sense of dread like you did something wrong but you don’t remember that you did something wrong but you know you did something wrong because like, of course you did.” he somehow says all that in one breath. “the point is, speaking the name liu yangyang with no context is absolutely terrifying. i can’t begin to explain the chill that just went through my entire body.”

“how old are you again?”

“fuck off. what do you want?”

“i need….” _swallow your pride donghyuck_. “some advice.”

“ohoh!” yangyang makes a surprised noise. renjun shifts in his sleep and groans unintelligibly.  “ohohoho...look who’s come begging for my ancient wisdom.”

“shut the fuck up or i’ll leave,” yangyang wipes the stupid smile off his face and straightens up. “remember when you were obsessed with your classmate a couple years back?”

“i wasn’t _obsessed_ , i just thought hangyul was hot and talked to everyone who would listen how much i wanted to get in his pants….with the exception of hangyul himself of course.”

donghyuck has seen the guy. he can’t blame yangyang for turning into a feral animal that one semester, but he mocked his best friend for it anyway. yangyang is the second easiest to bully in their household after all, right behind pure and innocent jeno. “i remember. i was there. you were obsessed. anyway, i just wanted to know how you went to class three times a week and shoved your feelings deep down and acted normal until you found out he already had a boyfriend and promptly got over it.”

there was a lot of crying involved.

yangyang whistles. “you and the sugar daddy have relationship trouble?”

“it’s not me!” donghyuck lies through his teeth. “it’s john seo, he has a crush on my other coworker and he won’t stop asking me to help him out, like, i’m paid to be mark’s personal assistant not yours seo, you know? i just wanted something to say to get him off my back. no funny business.”

yangyang looks skeptical but he nods slowly. donghyuck begins to think that asking someone who lives with him and knows him inside and out wasn’t the right move after all. “alright, fine. this might sound stupid and obvious but before i walked into class i reminded myself of why i was there in the first place. to study and take notes and pass this stupid course. i sat at the very front every lecture and didn’t look at anything besides my laptop and the professor’s face. eventually he faded into the background. well, not entirely because, you’ve seen hangyul before. but it helped a lot, i had a goal and he was simply a minor distraction. i didn’t snag a boyfriend that semester but i did get an A.”

donghyuck squints at him with his mouth hanging. “are you telling me to do my job? uh seo, i mean seo!”

“are you not doing your job? what the hell do you do there every day then?” yangyang retorts, ignoring his hastily tacked on correction.

he brings mark coffee, sits in his office and they work together the entire morning, talk about their days and the few hours they spent away from each other, plan future work trips and discuss dinner recipes. these are all normal parts of his job, but he enjoys them so much they don’t feel like work at all. coming in early and leaving after everyone doesn’t bother him anymore. if mark is there, then he wants to be too. 

god, he is completely doomed.

“hello? donghyuck? are you still here?” his best friend waves a hand in his face, and donghyuck smacks it away.

“yeah, i was just thinking, a concept you’re not very familiar with,” he replies. “that was useless advice, and i can’t ask the nearly married couple who live with us or sleeping beauty over there because i’m pretty sure he hasn’t been romantically or sexually interested in another human being since 2013.”

“shut up and try– i mean ask _seo_ to try it just once. when have i ever been wrong?” most of the time, donghyuck thinks. “oh, and i have another tip: get more friends you loser.”

 

the quiet whirring and muted chatter of the subway helps keep donghyuck calm before he goes off to face mark for another excruciating day. as he squeezes himself, arms and legs pressed together, between another office worker and a schoolgirl, his eyes land on the couple sitting across the busy train.

it’s impossible to mistake them as anything but. one boy is standing over his boyfriend, who cranes his neck up to look at him. they tangle and untangle their linked fingers absentmindedly, deep in a hushed conversation that has them both smiling at each other like no one else is there.

his heart burns with deep longing and just a little bit of envy.

one of them finally looks at him, slightly alarmed, and he pretends to be messing with his phone, face bright red. the girl sitting next to him snickers.

donghyuck only sits by his desk for fifteen minutes before the barrage of nosey questions from his coworkers begin. 

“you’re awfully fidgety today, donghyuck,” johnny says. “your mood shifts are starting to worry me, is something up?”

kun shakes his head. “i have a teen brother, and he acts exactly like that. you just don’t understand young people, johnny.”

“i’m twenty thre–” donghyuck tries to correct for what feels like the fifth time this month but is interrupted by taeil.

“hey donghyuck, can you show me how the calendar app works again?”

he excuses himself and makes a beeline to the water cooler in the hallway. not a second of peace in this cursed building, he thinks as he takes a sip and chokes on it when yuta appears next to him, seemingly out of nowhere.

“haven’t seen your face in a while,” is yuta-nese for good morning.

“shouldn’t you be in jeju or something–”

“watch it.”

“–mr. nakamoto.”

yuta crosses his arms and leans on the wall. “number one, never mention hi– _that_ again. number two, why isn’t mark taking my calls? and cut the bullshit, he can’t be ‘in a meeting’ literally every hour of the day.” 

donghyuck knows why. doyoung has long given up on trying to get through directly, or assistant to assistant, and put yuta on forced brotherly reunion duty. he knows mark always listens to yuta, and that they’re within close proximity, their offices being in the same floor and all. maybe the fucking their cousin part also plays a part, but he can’t say for sure.

“as i said over the phone, he’s been really busy lately,” donghyuck lies through his teeth. lying to yuta is especially terrifying because he’s sure his piercing eyes have the ability to look inside people’s souls. 

“you haven’t been here for a long time, and he’s already drilled all his usual excuses into your head,” yuta sighs. “kind of a dumb question to ask when i know exactly why.”

“so what do you want me to do?” donghyuck asks. he knows yuta can’t storm into his office and drag him to doyoung (was that doyoung’s plan all along?), and on some level donghyuck appreciates yuta’s respect for mark’s boundaries. 

“deliver a message,” he replies, his voice dipping into a whisper. “tell mark to go see his brother or he’s going to find him himself.”

what the fuck does that even mean? “like, he’s going to take an elevator a couple floors down?”

“don’t be stupid. he’s not going to cause a scene in the company.” it’s in line with all the talk he’s heard about doyoung’s obsession with keeping appearances.

donghyuck gulps. he knows exactly how mark will react if he let doyoung in anyway. he nods, which seems to satisfy yuta enough to finally leave him alone.

one thing he does know for sure: he is never going to mention it to mark.

 

“how long have you been here for?” mark asks, perking up the second he enters his office. he’s like a puppy whose owner has finally come home after a long day. donghyuck almost misses the days when he wouldn’t look up or say hello, because then he wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes and instantly be reminded of dreaming about sucking him off.

“since, uh, eight in the morning? same as everyday.” 

“is everything okay?”

“perfect,” donghyuck exhales. “just got caught up with helping taeil with some stuff, you know how he always is. sorry for worrying you.” following yangyang’s stupid advice has only proved half effective so far. he only managed to work exclusively at his desk until noon before he rushing to go see mark. 

mark blushes, realizing how overly attached he sounds. “no, no, it’s fine i barely noticed– it’s not like i was sitting here worrying about you all morning or anything.”

 it damn sure sounds like he was. 

more than the way mark looks, than the pretty sound of his laughter, than the tiny but warm touches he initiates, the things he says to donghyuck make him yearn the most. he’s clumsy with words, but that’s what makes them all the more charming.

and speaking of his sincerity, donghyuck remembers what he’s been meaning to ask him for the past week, if he wasn’t held back by the emotional whirlwind mark threw him into.

mark doesn’t share any information about _sun & moon _ without donghyuck prompting him to do it first. it’s frustrating, and makes donghyuck realize mark is planning to continue working on it alone, like nothing happened. it’s ridiculous to him that he has to explicitly state that they’re in this together now.

_they’re a few simple words, donghyuck. just spit them out._

but he quickly gets distracted when mark pulls at his tie and huffs, whining about how stuffy and hot it feels under his breath. so when donghyuck opens his dry mouth all that comes out is an unintelligible jumble of words. 

mark tilts his head, confused. “can you say that again? and please check the room temperature.”

donghyuck complies, and doesn’t know what to think when the screen reads nineteen degrees celsius. 

“what i was trying to say was….you’re working on _sun & moon _ right now, aren’t you?” he knows by the way mark instinctively hides whatever he’s doing when someone comes in. 

“i am. did something come up?” he loves talking about it more than anything in the world, donghyuck knows he does, if the sparks that light up in mark’s eyes whenever he brings it up are anything to go by.

_say them donghyuck._

“nothing! just curious! i’ll see you later!”

“but you just got he–” donghyuck walks out before he could finish that sentence.

he’s hunched over a bathroom sink moments later, refusing to look at his disappointed reflection. avoiding mark is not only futile but it also makes no damn sense. he needs to learn how to look mark in the eyes again, how to talk to him and be his assistant, and more importantly, his friend. they’re so close but he misses him so much it hurts. in more ways than one.

donghyuck sighs, and just as he’s about to give up he remember why he fell so hard and so quickly for mark in the first place. the secret he held so closely to his heart, his passion burning quietly inside this big cold machine. 

the reason he’s still here despite yuta and doyoung constant attempts to break through him to get to mark.

so he splashes water on his face and marches back into the office.

“mark!”

mark’s eyes widen when he identifies the serious look on his face. “are you alri–”

“i just want you to know that,” donghyuck says, his voice loud and clear, surging with newfound confidence. “i’ll help you achieve your dream, no matter what it takes.”

long moments of silences stretch between them, and there are a lot of unspoken feelings in the way they hold each other’s gazes, in donghyuck’s unwavering determination, in that _what it takes_. he’s never sworn his loyalty to another person before, but there isn’t a single doubt in donghyuck’s mind right now.

finally, a big smile slowly spreads across mark’s face. “perfect, because i think i just found a lead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always thank you so much for reading ♡♡♡
> 
> you can also talk to me on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


	8. Chapter 8

wong yukhei.

it’s one of those names you’re sure you’ve heard before but can never exactly place where. wong yukhei, familiar and strange all at the same time. somewhat omniscient even. 

if you’ve never directly brushed with the elite, that is. as the fourth son of the current head of hong kong’s weishen group, he’s made a name for himself in the social circles of the rich and famous the same way his grandfather did in the automotive industry all these years ago. he’s squeezed himself into the arms of every celebrity, every socialite, every ceo that donghyuck could name off the top of his head. he assumes his contagious smile might have a lot to do with it.

and just listening to mark talk about him paints a clear picture in donghyuck’s head. well, that, and the thirst traps filling his instagram account.

“so officially yukhei is the fourth and youngest wong child, but there is actually like ten of them and–”

donghyuck doesn’t care about the history of yukhei’s family, there is a more pressing issue. “you have friends?”

“what do you mean  _ you have friends _ ? when did i ever imply that i don’t have friends?”

donghyuck thinks back to that conversation they had in jeju during his accidental attempted kidnapping. he interpreted what mark said about his lack of trust as him not having any human contact. he supposes that it makes sense for someone of his status to maintain a friendly relationship with some powerful people here and there.

he’s over at mark’s for dinner, unable to resist his unsubtle invitations. how else is he supposed to interpret _yesterday_ _i managed to make dinner without that awful burning smell_ as anything but a desperate cry for help? mark would be dead if he didn’t rush to his rescue. or worse, hungry.

he loves being here, he really does, but he also can’t for the life of him understand why mark doesn’t like doing anything besides hanging out at his own place. mark enjoying the company of books more than people makes sense, especially with all the rich assholes donghyuck has had the displeasure of meeting so far, but does he really not want to be  _ anywhere _ else? the idea of being alone with your thoughts for too long is enough to drive him crazy.

but it’s not that he feels sorry for mark or has this urge to save him, it’s purely out of his selfish desire to spend more time with him, to take him out and laugh with him and hold his hand. maybe a bit like that couple in the subway the other day. 

“because, i just assumed you were too nerdy to have friends!”

“you’re here, aren’t you?” mark bites back, and it actually shuts donghyuck up. “anyway, the ceo of sun and moon is impossible to get ahold of. i can’t ask anyone at the company for help for obvious reasons, and i tried every number, every address i could find online….”

“now you know what it’s like to have your calls ignored,” donghyuck says before he could stop himself, he bites his lips, regretful, but can’t stop himself from letting out a snort through his nose. being this funny is just so hard sometimes.

mark pouts at him. it’s especially adorable because he’s so used to his friends threatening to murder him whenever he snarked at them, so his reactions always catch him off guard. also because mark is the cutest person alive.

“sorry….i saw a chance and took it,” he continues sheepishly. “how does yukhei factor into this?”

“here,” mark says, scooting closer to him and scrolling through hundreds of instagram posts before landing on one of yukhei posing in his office with a smile.  _ working hard or hardly working _ , the caption reads, and donghyuck rolls his eyes. he doesn’t notice anything remarkable about the picture. “do you see it?”

“the comment asking yukhei to impregnate them? yeah, but i’m not sure how it’s relevant.”

“no! i mean look closely at the desk.”

it’s hard to make out because the awful filter he used distorted the quality of the picture, but donghyuck finally sees what mark is talking about. there is a package with the sun and moon logo printed on it, and a letter with the same seal lays next to it.

“this is crazy,” donghyuck gasps. “he actually reads?”

marks throws him a look before continuing. “i called him about it right away, and he said he’d be happy to tell me everything he knows…..over some drinks.”

“what?” did this tall asshole seriously ask mark out? and to talk about books? who does he think he is? that’s  _ donghyuck’s _ idea of a romantic evening.

“he doesn’t like doing business in a formal setting, and certainly not over the phone,” mark goes on, blissfully unaware of donghyuck’s embarrassing reaction. “ugh, i haven’t seen him since like, college? it’s gonna be so awkward.”

“so….” donghyuck waits for him to finish that sentence.

“so you should come.”

“you’re asking me to come on your date?”

“i–it’s not a date!” mark sputters, his face turning red. “he wants to go to some club in itaewon, does that sound like a date to you? i already told him you’re coming anyway.”

_ a club _ . the anxious feeling taking over donghyuck subdues a little. “i guess it doesn’t, but who said i wanted to be there?”

“you do want to,” mark replies, and fuck him for being so right. “also, it’s your job.”

“fine. i’m just concerned about one thing….”

mark’s expression twists with worry. “what’s wrong?”

_ what if he wants something in return? how well do you really know this person? what if you guys get along really well and i feel left out? _ “am i going to be forced to speak english again? because, if i’m being honest, i haven’t improved much since the daniel incident….”

“of course not,” mark laughs. “yukhei can speak five languages, maybe more since the last time i saw him. you can relax.”

 

“now explain to me again why i’m being dragged along for this?” renjun is wearing something that can’t double as pajamas for the first time in…donghyuck isn’t even sure. he appreciates the effort he made, putting on an oversized shirt tucked into his favorite black jeans. 

“because,” donghyuck repeats impatiently. “yangyang is too embarrassing to take anywhere, and jeno and jaemin come in a package. bringing two people would be overkill.”

“it has nothing to do with the fact that i’m chinese and you’re worried this wong person won’t speak to you in korean?”

“no it doesn’t.”

“or the fact that you want mark’s attention all to yourself so you’re bringing me along as a distraction?”

“i’m not going to take you if you keep insinuating that i’m in love with my boss, renjun.”

“good! because i don’t want to go! and stop being in love with your boss!”

donghyuck’s face falls and so does his entire body at renjun’s feet. “please, please please i’m never going to ask you for anything ever again.  _ please _ , renjun.” 

renjun looks down at him in disgust and a tiny hint of a smirk. “fine, but don’t drink too much because i’m not hauling your drunk ass back home all by myself.”

“i owe you my life.”

“you most certainly do.”

 

“is it really that obvious?” he asks as they take a seat in the back of the bus. “that i like him?”

“he’s all you talk about, it would be weirder if you didn’t have feelings for him,” renjun says, his tone gentler. “i don’t know half as many details about jaemin and jeno’s workplaces and they’ve had their jobs longer than you.”

donghyuck sighs as he watches the city lights go by in a blur. “he’d have to be real dense not to notice, huh?”

every conversation they have, every word is so charged and the more intense it gets the less conversations they have talk about it. the word  _ friend _ is spoken less often now and donghyuck hates using it. they’re honest about everything, except for the way they feel about each other.

“from the way you describe him, he probably is,” renjun reassures him. 

maybe he’s right, donghyuck tries to convince himself.

 

it turns out  _ take off  _ is not a club, it’s a small bar tucked in the backstreets of itaewon, and renjun and donghyuck bicker about who was in charge of checking the location as they bump shoulders with the crowds flooding the main strip on the weekend. 

mark had already saved them a table when they arrive. “i came here thirty minutes early because i got anxious about being late,” he squeaks. 

it’s a cozy little place, and it reminds donghyuck a lot of the bars he spent his nights in with his friends back in college, with its purple and pink neon lights, vintage posters, tiled walls, and laid back nineties hip hop music. 

and mark looks pretty under the dimmed lights, soft and dreamy. he’s wearing his round glasses again and his usual suits have been replaced with a white t-shirt and denim jacket. donghyuck’s heart skips a beat, he looks exactly like he pictures him when he thinks about them going out together. better, even. he thinks that he can never get used to how handsome mark is, no matter how long he stares at him, or how many embarrassing dreams he has. 

he’s never felt more thankful for someone as he does for wong yukhei at the moment.

“of course you did,” he replies affectionately before squeezing himself next to him. renjun shoots him an amused look, and he prays mark doesn’t notice it. “renjun, this is the world’s nerdiest millionaire mark lee. mark, this is renjun and his interests include sleeping and extraterrestrials.” 

“great introduction, donghyuck,” mark says dryly as he shakes renjun’s hand.

“uh, why are you telling him about my aliens?” renjun is equal parts alarmed and embarrassed, donghyuck is not sure why, because he just spiced up his best friend’s otherwise boring personality.

“it’s not the first time he’s mentioned it, you know.”

“donghyuck!”

a large motorcycle helmet suddenly drops on their table, and donghyuck is so startled he almost jumps into mark’s lap. he looks up, and then even higher up until he sees wong yukhei fixing his already perfect brown hair. 

“mark lee! it’s been forever!” he exclaims, pulling mark into a violent hug across the table. ugh, just what is it with handsome strangers randomly embracing mark? he struggles to form a muffled reply as donghyuck and renjun exchange scandalized looks underneath them.

“it’s nice to see you too,” mark finally manages to say, voice hoarse from all his little squeaking. 

“and your two handsome friends,” yukhei continues when he pulls away, but his eyes are fixated on renjun only. this was not a part of donghyuck’s plan, but it’s a welcome deviation.

yukhei reminds donghyuck of himself, in a way. it’s not that they have similar personalities, per se, but they share the same overwhelming presence that takes up an entire room. he exudes enough energy for five people combined.

“so you’re in korea this weekend?” donghyuck asks politely after they’re done with introductions, and is pleased that yukhei still hasn’t managed to take his eyes off renjun. the best part is how renjun has barely caught on to the fact that he’s being eyed like a lion preying on a deer. next to him, mark is reciting his order under his breath so he doesn’t forget it when the waitress makes her way to their table.

yukhei is puzzled by the question. “no, i flew in here for this. i was planning on leaving tomorrow morning, but i might stay a little longer.”

he says that while smiling at renjun, who checks the time on his phone.

“with your private jet, of course,” donghyuck mutters. he keeps forgetting where he is and who he’s talking to.

“yeah, with  _ my private jet _ ,” yukhei repeats pointedly. renjun is waving for the waitress. 

after they make their orders, mark steals his attention before he goes into further attempts to impress renjun. “so, i didn’t think you’d be into korean mystery novels,” he says, in the least smooth attempt to steer the conversation. donghyuck finds his eagerness endearing.

yukhei laughs, and it’s a disjointed and high pitched sound that finally peels renjun’s attention away from his phone. he looks at him like he’s finally seeing him for the first time. “oh no way, im not really big on books.”  _ thank fucking god _ , donghyuck thinks. the jealous fire in his heart is finally extinguished for good. “my niece liked this series when she was little, but the chinese versions went out of print years ago. i contacted the publisher and their ceo was more than happy to help.”

“that’s really sweet,” renjun says, and yukhei shifts his entire body towards him. even under this lighting, donghyuck can see how furiously his best friend is blushing. “that you did that, for your niece, i mean.”

“i go through great lengths for the people i like,” yukhei winks, and donghyuck wants to throw up.

“wait, wait, wait hold up,” mark interrupts their disgusting flirtation with an exaggerated wave of his hand. the glass in front of him is already empty. “how on earth did you manage to get ahold of jung yunho?”

“i have what you don’t, director lee,” yukhei replies, tapping his temple. “connections.”

donghyuck feels defensive. it’s not like mark has the company’s resources at his disposal for this. “i mean, he did get through to you.”

“don’t be rude, donghyuck,” renjun shushes him. what planet is he on? his best friend abandoned him for this (literal and figurative) dick faster than he could say retrograde. he says something in mandarin, and they both laugh. 

mark, however, does not look particularly insulted. he’s laser-focused on his goal. “alright, give me his number then.”

“i’ll do you one better, i could introduce you to him in person.”

donghyuck crosses out the word dick in his mind with a red marker. he’s ready to let renjun marry the guy. 

mark’s eyes widen, they sparkle the same way they do every time he talks about sun and moon. “are you serious? you’d do that for me?”

yukhei shrugs and raises his eyebrows like it’s the easiest task in the world, relishing his role as their savior. “it’s no big deal. my father is holding a party in seoul at the end of the month and mr. jung just happens to be on the guest list. i could easily squeeze you in,” he glances at renjun. “your friends too.”

renjun has made it clear that he has no interest in these rich people donghyuck has entangled himself with and he would never, ever, attend something like thi– “sounds fun!”

donghyuck stares at renjun, who is avoiding his eyes, with his jaw on the floor before composing himself. “i’ll add it to mark’s schedule.”

there is nothing like the pure happiness radiating from mark right now, vibrating in his seat as a torrent of  _ thank you _ s spills out of his mouth. donghyuck unshackles his mental restraints and pulls him into a hug. his body feels warm, and the scent of his favorite cologne is overwhelming. donghyuck breathes him in. deeply, slowly, as mark’s arms wrap around his back.

“you’re one step closer,” he says, unable to contain his giddiness. mark nods into his shoulder.

“this is a cause for celebration!” yukhei says after they break apart. he clasps his giant hands together, and renjun looks at them in awe.

mark narrows his eyes. “what are you thinking?”

“you wanted to go clubbing, right?”

“no! i thought that’s what you wanted to do!” 

renjun finishes off his drink. “i did come here under the impression that we were going to a club.”

“maybe we should call it a night,” mark says, shrinking into his seat. “i think i’m already at my limit.” 

but donghyuck realizes that if they leave now the night will end. the next time they see each other is going to be at  _ work _ . no glasses or denim jackets or neon lights. maybe it’s the buzz still running through his entire body after hugging mark but just once, just this one time, he allows himself to be selfish. 

“come on, mark,” he nudges him lightly. “it’s barely nine.”

he looks at each one of them pleadingly (donghyuck almost cracks) before sighing. “fine,” he mumbles, and they all cheer.

as they get up to leave, renjun holds donghyuck back by his arm and whispers, “you should have seen his face, when you held him.”

itaewon is more alive than ever when they emerge through the narrow alleyways and back into the main street. renjun and yukhei hit it off frighteningly well for two people who couldn’t be more different from each other, skipping ahead and talking animatedly about things that donghyuck and his other roommates will hound him about later. 

mark walks close to him, so much so they’re bumping shoulders the entire time. donghyuck wants to hold his hand, and his pretty cold fingers peeking out of his jacket sleeve are so tempting. he opts for squeezing mark’s shoulders instead. there is something else bothering him. “i’m sorry, for siding with them back at the bar–”

“no, it’s fine. i can’t remember the last time i spent a night out,” mark cuts him off quickly, like he already knew what he was about to say. “coddling me isn’t a part of your job description.”

“neither is forcing you to do things you’re not comfortable with, especially not as….your friend.” it comes out bitter and forced, but what else is he supposed to say? renjun’s whisper plays back in his mind but he shakes it off. 

mark suddenly stops and stands in front of him, and donghyuck almost trips backwards. “look at me. if i really didn’t want to come i would have just gone home.”

donghyuck snorts. “you’re telling me you were playing hard to get?”

“i’m telling you there are reasons for me to stay.”

and something in donghyuck’s heart blooms. time slows down and all he can see is mark’s reassuring smile, his dazzling eyes under the moonlight.

so this is what being in love feels like.

 

it turns out the club, offensively named  _ rainbow diamonds _ , is actually owned by one of yukhei’s brothers. the smoke and barrage of sweaty bodies makes donghyuck want to turn around and take mark somewhere far away from there. god, has it really been that long since he’s been clubbing? or maybe he caught the homebody bug from mark. 

yukhei, using his rich dick privileges, takes them to the much less suffocating second floor, where a booth has already been reserved for them.

mark throws his entire body onto the sticky leather sofa. “im camping here for the rest of the night.”

“and as his assistant i’m going to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”  _ and also i came here exclusively to spend time with mark. _ he ignores renjun’s obvious wink at him.

“suit yourselves,” yukhei says as he pulls a giggling and slightly tipsy renjun back into the crowd. unreal. yangyang will never believe him when he retells these events.

the drinks on their table pile up, and most of them belong to mark. donghyuck tries to keep himself sober, mostly because mark goes off the rails very fast.

he’s mumbling to himself, hazy eyes following any sudden movement around him like a kitten. the only words donghyuck can make out are  _ doyoung _ ,  _ piece of shit _ , and a string of unintelligible english.

“when you said you haven’t seen yukhei since college–” donghyuck drops the question he’s been dying to ask all night.

“oh, we didn’t even go to college in the same country,” mark explains, sitting up a little. “we grew up seeing each other maybe once or twice a year, at these functions that our parents dragged us to, you know how it is.”

“i actually don’t.” mark shoves him hard, and he laughs. he could get used to this new side of him.

“he was the only person i actually liked enough to stay in contact with after all this time. he might seem like your typical billionaire playboy, but he simply draws people to him because of how positive and genuine he is.”

“i’ve noticed,” donghyuck says, exasperated and still in disbelief. “i’ve never seen renjun warm up to someone so fast.”

“people can be like that sometimes,” drunk mark says, as if he’s been hit by some ancient wisdom. “only opening themselves to the right person.”

there is a long quiet moment, when the weight of his words drags down on donghyuck gradually, and his chest aches.

the reality of their situation hits him like a pile of bricks sometimes. when he looks out at the view of the city from mark’s office or when he’s watching mark eat the food he made him or when he wears mark’s clothes. he’s here and he did the worst possible thing he could do after joining neo group. he let himself get drawn to mark lee like a moth to a flame.

“like you and me?” he knows what he’s asking, but he’s not sure if mark does. his selfishness is taking over for the second time tonight.

regardless of how mark interpreted his question, he smiles slowly, and puts his arm around him. “exactly like that!”

and for now, affirmations like this feel enough. mark’s existence fills him up, with love and longing that makes his heart soar but slowly kills him at the same time.

donghyuck’s so caught up in his own thoughts he doesn’t notice mark’s arms slip off of him until renjun and yukhei finally come back to check on them and his best friend starts yelling at him.

“you’re letting him  _ sleep _ ?” he screeches at the same time yukhei whistles and notes that mark hasn’t changed one bit.

“i’m gonna take him home,” donghyuck says, gently shaking him awake. “you could stay here, if you want.”

yukhei and renjun exchange a charged look, and then renjun hesitates before finally shaking his head. “no,  it’s fine. i’m coming back with you.”

“mark, it’s time to go home,” he whispers when mark finally opens his eyes again.

“i’mmm, help me,” mark clings into him. “are you my mom?”

“i’m donghyuck.” weird. mark never mentions his mom, or his parents in general for that matter.

“where is my mom, donghyuck?”

“uh, she’s–” he looks at the other two for answers but they turn out to be useless. “right outside! waiting outside in the car! let’s go together, come on.”

they help him into a cab together, and donghyuck patiently waits inside as yukhei and renjun exchange numbers and quiet goodbyes. despite making considerable progress on the sun and moon project, donghyuck considers this to be the biggest triumph of the night.

“did you seriously just flirt with wong fucking yukhei all night? who are you?” donghyuck finally explodes when he’s safely out of earshot.

“what do you mean flirt? he’s nice. we’re friends.” he’s already ignoring him and texting yukhei.

“we’ll let jeno, jaemin, and yangyang be the judges of that,” donghyuck replies, and then remembers something important. “mark, what’s your passcode?” 

“diamonds,” mark starts to giggle but is interrupted by a hiccup. “jjajangmyeon, jeju, nakamoto, yangyang.”

“my name is renjun,” renjun corrects with a frown. 

fuck, he’s completely smashed. “mark, this is important. please. tell me. your passcode.”

“i’m gonna take a nappy nap,” mark shushes donghyuck by smashing his index finger against donghyuck’s lips before collapsing on his lap. his head feels warm and heavy and good and donghyuck almost forgets the kind of mess he’s currently in. thankfully, mark’s loud snoring quickly brings him back to reality.

“excuse me? i’m really sorry, but can you change the destination?” donghyuck asks before reciting his home address.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for your patience, i'll try my best to get chapter 9 out as quickly as i can ♡♡♡
> 
> come to talk to me on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!
> 
> (also, quick note: i would just like to say that messages asking about my update schedule cause me a lot of stress. i'm really really grateful for the love that this story has been getting but people only bringing it up with me to demand for the next chapter makes me feel demotivated to write. there are a lot of good ways to support the writers and works you like, and for me this is not one of them. at the moment i'm trying to update every weekend, which could change depending on real life obligations and my mental health. thank you!)


	9. Chapter 9

donghyuck wakes up to a dream.

he opens his eyes to a blur of lights and colors until they sharpen into focus on something magical. mark is curled up on his bed like a kitten, his glasses hanging low on his nose as he squints at his dim phone screen. the glass of water donghyuck left on the bedside table the night before is empty, and the sunlight sneaks through the crack between donghyuck’s plain white curtains and engulfs the room in a soft glow.

he’s not sure what century it is, what time of the day it is, what dimension he’s in, but donghyuck feels like an outsider in his own room. he feels groggy and weird and funny and mark being there makes it all too overwhelming. it’s like he’s in one of those dreams where he’s floating down on the world as a spectator. 

or in this case, up. he shifts around where he’s lying down on the floor and his back makes a painful cracking noise, alerting mark to him immediately.

“you’re awake!” he says, pulling the blanket closer to his body. the blanket donghyuck hugs to sleep every night. he draws in a sharp breath.

“when did you wake up? what time is it? are you okay?” he fires the rapid questions as he sits up, all his thoughts rushing out before he could properly articulate them, and then a searing white pain jolts through his skull. he winces and rubs it through his messy brown curls.

mark tilts his head. “i’m fine, i just woke up–” he huffs. “i take it this is your room?”

donghyuck snickers. “what gave it away? the empty beer cans? the tie you gifted me lying  on the floor?”

they both laugh, and then look at each other with bright smiles. it’s one of these moments he often feels whenever they’re together, alone, and the world belongs to the two of them only. a feeling he could only describe as just right.

“good morning mark.”

“good morning donghyuck.”

mark rolls off the bed and grabs both of donghyuck’s hands. it’s no surprise he has so much stamina in the morning, but donghyuck is still taken off guard by how little effort he exerted to pull his entire body up. mark is exceptionally strong. noted. “i can’t believe you slept on the floor!”

“uh, where else was i supposed to put you?” he wasn't about to leave mark alone and let him wake up in a strange house when he’s pretty damn sure that mark can’t remember anything that happened soon after they entered the club. “you haven’t left the room, have you?”

mark shook his head. “just woke up, although i could hear some suspicious murmuring coming from the door.”

oh, so that’s what that is. donghyuck just assumed the strange distant noise came with his headache. it evidently stops after mark acknowledges it. guilty.

“my roommates are, to put it mildly, extremely nosy.” 

“is there any way i could sneak out without facing them?” donghyuck stares at him so he continues quickly. “i’m sure they’re very lovely people i’m just...embarrassed.”

“oh, i’m sorry mr. lee, our tiny house doesn’t have ten different entrances for you to sneak out from. if you want to leave you have to pass through the living room or kitchen.” 

mark shucks a pillow at him. “meanie, just say no.”

donghyuck laughs as he swerves away from it. “making ourselves comfortable here, aren’t we?”

he was terrified the entire ride home last night, although he and mark have shattered so many boundaries at this point, he still wasn’t sure if it was acceptable for him to spend the night here, if mark would have a change of heart and feel weirded out and decide that this is where they draw the line. but of course mark is alright, better than he has ever seen him. 

“i’m not gonna lie, when i first woke up i thought i’d been kidnapped by one of our business rivals, or worse, my brother,” donghyuck can’t tell if this is a joke. “but then i saw you, and everything was okay. i was safe.”

he can’t just say things like that. he can’t say them and expect donghyuck to keep his mouth shut when his heart is filled to the last vein and on the verge of explosion. 

“mark, i–”

“ _and_ the empty beer cans.”

his lips twitch, first in frustration and then turning up. “fair enough.”

he only notices their locked hands then, and he gently, against every instinct he has, breaks free.

“i should head out soon then, shouldn’t i?” mark says, looking away, hands balling into fists. he completely misread the situation. 

donghyuck rushes to mend his feelings. “you’re not going out on an empty stomach, especially not in the clothes you slept in.”

he thought of helping him change into something else before tucking him into bed, and he would have done it had it not been for the fact that he has feelings for mark. it wouldn’t be right, taking advantage of a situation where mark was at his most vulnerable. 

mark’s clenched fists come loose, and he can look at him again. “so, what do you have in mind?”

donghyuck digs into his closet, discreetly trying to cover it with his entire body so mark can’t see what an awful mess he’s made in there, and pulls out a pair of well worn black sweats and an oversized t-shirt he wears to sleep sometimes.

“change into these while i throw your clothes into the washing machine,” he says. “it’s not a prada suit but…”

that morning when his friends were teasing him after mark sent that ridiculous package feels like a lifetime ago.

mark holds them tight and, is donghyuck seeing things or did he take a quick whiff? “it’s perfect. thank you.”

he leaves mark alone to change, and rolls his eyes when he hears his friends scattering the second he turns the doorknob.

 

“you guys are being way too quiet and it’s starting to freak me out,” donghyuck says and points the spatula in his hand at yangyang accusingly. “especially you. you never shut up.”

everyone is making breakfast this morning, bringing back an old college tradition from when they were all way less busy and spent every weekend together. he was hoping their usual pointless chatter would serve as a distraction from everything going on in his brain (and heart) right now but their silence is louder than yangyang’s screaming whenever he’s late for class.

“what? i’m not allowed to be quiet?” yangyang says. “am i your conversation machine, donghyuck? do i have to entertain you every second of the day?”

donghyuck turns to renjun. “what’s wrong with him?”

“hungry,” renjun explains. he’s on his phone again, and an evil smirk creeps up donghyuck’s face when his fuzzy memories of the previous night begin to materialize again.

“and who are you texting?”

jaemin frowns. “since when do _you_ care? actually, of all the things you have to bring up this morning, this has to be the least interesting.”

he has no idea. none of them do. his smile grows bigger, he’s going to have his fun with this. “i beg to differ.”

“what the hell does that mean?” jaemin shrieks. his buttons are so easy to push. “renjun! what is he talking about?”

renjun has mentally checked out of this conversation before it even started, he actually mentally checked out of this country last night. “dunno.”

“you remember how the guy we were meeting for….work is a handsome billionaire from hong kong?” he only disclosed the details of his project with renjun. they all nod. “guess who he decided to flirt with the entire time?”

“you?” jeno tilts his head, confused. “that must’ve been awkward, what with your obsession with your boss and a–”

yangyang smacks the back of his head. “idiot, why would he go after donghyuck? obviously he’s talking about mark lee. huh. that still makes it awkward for you, since you’re completely obsessed.”

is it really so unbelievable that renjun and yukhe– well, now that donghyuck thinks about it, he wouldn’t believe this unless he saw it with his own eyes either.

“keep your voices down,” he hisses at them, face turning bright red. if mark so much as heard them joke about this he’ll have to quit his job and never show his face in a neo group establishment ever again. “this has nothing to do with me. or mark.”

“if it’s not you...or the sugar daddy,” yangyang strokes his chin, his few brain cells rubbing together with incredible ferocity. “was it someone at the club?”

jaemin’s big eyes begin to shake. “you don’t mean– you’re not seriously implying–”

“renjun and wong yukhei,” donghyuck confirms. “have fallen deeply in love around fifteen minutes into their first meeting.”

“what?” everyone, including renjun, yells at the same time. 

“i–i– said good morning,” mark is standing by the door, looking terrified out of his mind. the big shirt is a loose fit on him too despite his shoulders being wider than donghyuck’s. he pulls on it uncomfortably, and donghyuck can’t resist sneaking a peek at his collarbones.

silence falls on the room again. donghyuck is still holding his spatula like a weapon, jaemin is frozen halfway through his attempt at shaking renjun for answers, yangyang is on the verge of fainting, and jeno has his arms spread out, ready to catch him when he falls.

“morning,” it’s renjun who finally remembers how to use his mouth. he must be relieved that the attention is off him at last, donghyuck scoffs.

“mark!” he exhales. “these are my roommates. that’s yangyang.”

“swag,” yangyang throws vague hand gestures, which mark attempts to copy.

“cut that out. as for the other two, the cute one is jeno and the ugly one is jaemin.”

“hi! i’m jeno,” jaemin says, extending his hand. mark takes it, but donghyuck pulls their handshake apart. “ugh, fine. i’m jaemin, and my face is the source of donghyuck’s envy.”

“it’s really nice to finally meet you, director lee,” jeno switches to his work voice.

“you don’t have to call me that,” mark quickly stops him, embarrassed. he scratches the back of his head. “i passed out in your house drunk and now i’m wearing your roommate’s pajamas. i’m just mark.”

“he’s just mark when he’s in a suit too,” donghyuck says. mark glares at him, and he laughs. everyone else just stares.

“how do you talk to your own boss like that?” jeno asks. “you should write a book on what not to do as a personal assistant.”

_rule number one, don’t fall in love._

“you should be getting him some coffee,” jaemin agrees. he slides a chair on the kitchen table and mark throws him an apologetic look before sitting down. 

“he only gets paid to bring me coffee on weekdays,” mark counters, assimilating into their banter easily.

“and more importantly,” donghyuck says, wishing everyone would stop talking about mark paying him. “we’re all making breakfast together this morning. it’s the perfect opportunity to continue our lessons.”

yangyang covers his mouth and whispers to jeno. “the cooking lessons were actually real? i thought that was just an excuse t–” donghyuck’s death glare cuts his sentence short.

mark takes a sip of the coffee renjun just brewed and slid over to him across the table. “i’m fully capable of making my own meals now, thank you very much.”

“there is one thing you can’t do no matter how many times we go over it,” donghyuck walks over to the fridge and takes out two eggs. “your final challenge.”

“oh no,” mark whispers. “donghyuck please.”

“wait, why?” yangyang asks. “is he vegan? are you worried about the little baby chicks, director lee?”

“stop calling me that!” mark backs into his chair. “i can make eggs, this isn’t up for debate!”

“can we get sued for making him do this?” jeno seriously wonders.

“not if it happens in our own house,” jaemin tells him confidently. 

“show us how well you can make them then, tiger.” donghyuck is heating up the pan. mark tries to ignore him, but everyone is staring at him expectantly, so he shuffles over to him with his head hung low. donghyuck puts a reassuring arm around his shoulders, and can barely bite back a smile when mark subconsciously leans into him.

“the chickens were dead long before they ended up in our fridge, if it makes you feel better,” yangyang assures him. mark’s face turns green.

renjun looks up from his phone. “there are no chickens inside, you idiot.”

“you only start conversations with me to start an argument, and you know what? i’m sick of it renjun. we get it, you’re so smart, you’re going to space, you’re an expert on chicken biology. i’ve fucking had enough!”

donghyuck is part relieved his friends are back to normal, and half horrified that mark gets to witness his daily life in all its chaotic glory. maybe it’s just because mark is literally wearing his clothes, but he doesn’t stand out at all in their group. they might be at each other’s throats all the time, but his friends know exactly how to make someone feel right at home.

“are they always like this?” mark whispers to donghyuck, nervous that his mere presence might have inadvertently stirred the pot.

“they’re being nice to each other today,” donghyuck snorts. “trust me, it’s better than when jeno and jaemin get piss drunk and force us to watch them make out in the kitchen.”

“oh, does our beautiful display of love bother you, donghyuck? you act so disgusted when the truth is you’re just jealous because you haven’t had sex in at least a year.”

donghyuck regrets everything he’s done in his life that led to this moment.

he waits for mark to tease him about it, finally armed with some ammo against him, but his boss is staring away from him, specifically at the ceiling, looking more embarrassed than donghyuck himself feels. he mumbles something under his breath that vaguely sounds like _good to know_.

 _maybe now that mark knows just how repressed i’ve been he’ll take matters into his own hands and put me out of my own misery_ , donghyuck consoles himself, pretending that this isn’t the most embarrassing thing that happened to him around mark.

he clears his throat. “speaking of reproduction, don’t think i’ve forgotten about your eggs.”

he drops one into his hand, and mark glares at it like it’s the source of all his problems.

“there is something wrong,” donghyuck says when he doesn’t crack it. it’s crazy how his coworkers used to talk about how expressionless mark is, because he can tell exactly how he’s feeling with the slight twitch of his eyebrow. 

“just a little embarrassing, is all,” mark replies under his breath. renjun and yangyang’s ongoing argument thankfully steals the attention away from them.

he remembers how hard it is for mark to simply be bad at things, to allow himself to have weaknesses in front of other people. he doesn’t know exactly what went on during his upbringing for him to be so terrified of mistakes, but donghyuck would love to have some stern words with whoever is responsible for making him feel this way.

and besides, mark is at his best when he reveals his imperfections. 

“jeno,” donghyuck calls out. “remember our sophomore year, when you tried to make pancakes for jaemin?”

“it was incredibly romantic,” jaemin sighs. jeno is too busy trying to break up a fist fight between renjun and yangyang about the chickens.

“i almost died that day!” yangyang yells, hands deep in renjun’s hair. “the taste of spicy undercooked pancakes drenched in syrup is one my tastebuds will never recover from.”

jaemin nods. “precisely.”

“ _someone_ learned a lesson about stealing food that morning,” renjun says, face twisted in pain.

“i tried my best to do something nice for my boyfriend and i still get mocked for it to this day,” jeno adds pitifully.

“that doesn’t matter! the point is, it was your first time, right? and was it perfect?”

“did you forget the part where i almost died?” yangyang interrupts.

“i give up,” donghyuck says, rubbing his temple. mark is laughing anyway, that cute high pitched laugh that makes him feel like the funniest person in the universe, and none of it matters anymore.

at some point during the commotion, mark cracked the eggs into the pan and let them sizzle without further intervention. donghyuck sighs and takes care of the rest for him. mark will never learn how to make a proper fried egg (maybe because he wants to eat donghyuck’s), and now it’s just another item on his very very long list of adorable imperfections.

it takes them a little over an hour to prepare a simple breakfast, still bickering and sharing embarrassing college stories and making mark feel at home, and while mark devours jeno’s now perfectly fluffy pancakes, he reaches under the table to squeeze on donghyuck’s thigh for just a few seconds before letting go. 

and he feels like everything is okay too. because mark is there.  


“it’s a perfect fit, you look incredible,” donghyuck gasps when he walks back into his room after cleaning up with renjun. mark is wearing his own jeans from the previous night and one of donghyuck’s sweaters, but his hair is still damp from the shower he took after breakfast. “the clothes! i mean the clothes...”

mark turns pink, donghyuck’s reference completely going over his head. he’s looking down, trying to make the messy nest on his head look more presentable and completely failing. donghyuck sighs and walks over to him.

“lemme do it,” he threads his fingers through mark’s damp black strands, pushing them away from his pretty face.

their day is finally coming to an end, and he’s surprisingly upset by how fast it flew by. donghyuck hates that bittersweet feeling he gets when something wonderful happens and he has to come in terms with the fact that it’s fleeting. life is so stupid like that.

“makes me feel nostalgic,” mark says, just above a whisper. “like that time in jeju.”

when he fixed his tie. donghyuck’s hands felt searing hot for an hour after, and he couldn’t for the life of him articulate why everything mark did to him, with him, felt too much. 

“i can’t believe you remember.”

“i think about it a lot, to be honest,” mark replies. “i think about everything that’s happened recently, all the time.”

everything. everything that’s happened. “between us.”

“yeah,” mark smiles. “it’s hard being myself most of the time, but it feels easy when i’m with you.”

his words hit donghyuck’s chest like a hundred stab wounds. “how could you say that–”

“it might not be a big deal to you, since you’re surrounded by your friends all the time, but being this open with someone was unimaginable for me just a few months ago. and now i’m sitting around a table full of strangers, not feeling terrified that exposing the tiniest bit of who i really am will end in disaster.”

“mark, you really don’t get it, do you?” donghyuck stops him, hating how that came out but refusing to stop. “if it weren’t for you, i wouldn’t have lasted at neo group as long as i have. you’re the reason i wake up feeling excited to work in that hellhole every morning. it is a big deal, all of it. you are important to me.”

how could mark ever think that this is one sided? if he understood just a fraction of how deep donghyuck’s desire is for him all these baseless thoughts would vanish in a second. his friends, _mark’s_ new friends, would laugh their asses off if they heard him suggest that donghyuck does not care about him that much.

“see,” mark audibly gulps, flustered by the last line and pinker than ever. “this is exactly what i mean. thank you for accepting me so unconditionally.”

“thank you for trusting me enough to let me in.”

donghyuck fists wrap around either side of his jacket, and then they’re both looking at each other. mark licks his lips and then closes his eyes. donghyuck can feel his racing heart through his shirt and it’s all he needs.

they kiss.

mark’s lips are sweet like syrup, and donghyuck sucks on them until they taste like him again. mark’s hands grip on to his waist firmly as he stumbles back into the wall, seemingly in a daze, drunken on donghyuck and barely able to keep his legs upright. 

he can’t tell who leaned in first, but donghyuck can say for sure that mark is the one refusing to let go. he slides his warm tongue in, bolder than donghyuck would have expected or ever imagined.

and mark is so good, out of this world, like he’s waited to kiss donghyuck his whole life and now isn’t holding back. it’s hard for him to wrap his head around the way mark shares his hunger, how his pretty hands, the ones donghyuck fantasizes about more than he should, squeeze into his flesh.

he has to be dreaming again.

they break away for breath, and when donghyuck looks at the stars in mark’s eyes, clearer and sharper than ever, he knows this is all happening in real time.

“again?” mark asks, heaving. donghyuck nods so fast he almost breaks his neck. he holds mark’s chin lightly but doesn’t make a move, and the stars begin to waver. “is something wrong?”

“just taking it all in.” _taking_ you _all in_.

because, as he catches mark’s lips again, he thinks that this might be a fluke and the second mark walks out that door it’s something they won’t talk about again, pretend it never happened for the sake of maintaining what they spent months building up.

it’s terrible of him, but the horny part of his brain screeches at him that it’s worth it, because god, does mark feel good right now. this single moment in his life will sustain him for months to come. his dreams pale in comparison to what the real mark is capable of making him feel.

and his enthusiasm would be absolutely humiliating if it wasn’t so mutual, he feels so overwhelmed that he lets mark take the lead again, and the happy sighs escaping the back of his throat get increasingly louder with everything he does.

they’re cut short with a surprised gasp when mark digs into his tucked in shirt to press his hands onto his bare skin, running up and down his waist, sneaking lower and lower, but not low enough. the pace of his heart skyrockets, and his pants begin to tighten uncomfortably, even more so because mark is incredibly close, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. 

it’s a little concerning that they’re not talking about this, that they’re not stopping to ask each other what the fuck is going on, but this might be the one instance where not shutting up might ruin everything, donghyuck thinks. he’s sure mark knows it too.

when they take a second break, all he can focus on is mark’s swollen and shiny mouth, and realizes that this won’t be an isolated incident, because seeing the traces of what he’s done to him is so addicting. there is a lot he still wants to do, and mark is more than willing to let him. the dark look in his eyes tell donghyuck he’s got a lot of ideas in store for him too.

he kisses mark again, lighter and more tender this time, just because he knows he can. mark pulls his hands out and loops his arms around his waist again. they melt into each other, chests pressed and hearts beating against each other.

two aggressive knocks force them to break apart, and then it’s jaemin’s obnoxious voice: “mark, there is a car for you outside.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this concludes the first arc of the story! thank you guys so much for your patience ♡♡♡
> 
> please let me know what you think! i'm also on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


	10. Chapter 10

yuta is waiting for him inside the car when he gets in.

“this is an interesting development,” yuta says, barely containing the amusement from his voice. 

“it’s not what you think,” mark spits out, leaning his head against the cold glass of the window. it isn't what yuta has in his mind, but mark can't say for sure what it is himself. maybe if he had some quiet time alone instead of getting ambushed by doyoung’s loyal dog this wouldn't be so hard for him to figure out. 

“is it not? i can _smell_ him on you, mark.”

“i got drunk and passed out in my clothes. that's it,” mark lies even though his lips are still tingling, so warm he could almost still taste donghyuck on them. “did doyoung send you here? did he install a tracking chip inside my body so he knows my every move now?”

“donghyuck texted me in drunken panic asking if i knew your apartment passcode, i put two and two together and my suspicions were right,” yuta sighs. “and frankly i’m a little offended by how quickly you believed that i would throw you out to him like that.” 

his stiff expression tells mark he’s being serious.

“i’m sorry.”

“he doesn’t even know about donghyuck, and if he did– i can’t predict how he’s going to react but i imagine it’s not going to be pretty.”

mark laughs. not his usual laugh, it’s short and breathy. “he’s going to be upset about, what, me having an assistant? a friend?”

“let’s try having this conversation again after you stop pretending that’s all there is to it.”

they don’t say much afterwards.

 

mark has known since the very first day.

in the years he’s been working at neo group, it seemed like nakamoto yuta only grew more persistent. this time he might have gone too far, coming into his office out of the blue one day and telling him the selection process for his new personal assistant has wrapped up. he didn’t know it had even started.

but this isn’t the problem, the problem is that he came in to tell him personally instead of via text, with his face muscles mimicking something that vaguely looks like excitement. 

so mark doesn’t know what to expect the morning this lee donghyuck is supposed to start. not that any of it would matter, because he’s going to have minimal contact with him. safe distance. just like the others.

but when donghyuck walked in he could swear he felt the air in the room shift. everything about him was striking, at least to mark. soft brown curls, pink pouty lips suppressing tiny pants, but most beautiful are his eyes, lively and playful and send mark’s heart racing when they land on him.

it’s hard to manage his expression, he can barely hold back a _woah_ before remembering where he is and who he’s talking to. mark sends him away quickly, wondering how the id photos in his official documents could do his face such injustice.

he doesn’t pay it any mind for the rest of the day until donghyuck walks up to him and spills the coffee all over himself and mark’s first thought is that his lips are within kissing distance.

he’s doomed.

he’s mastered the art of pretending other people don’t exist, he thinks for the first few days. so what if he’s terribly attracted to his assistant? he’ll jack off once to that power fantasy and move on. but he can’t stop thinking about that exact moment, about how easy it was for donghyuck to reach deep into his soul and turn him into a mess. mark spends that night reading up about what geminis are like instead.

and donghyuck isn’t easy to forget about, he’s like the moon fully eclipsing the sun, demanding his attention and forcing everything and everyone else out of focus. mark catches himself staring at his back when he turns to leave, marveling at his eyelashes when he looks down to take notes, counting the moles along his neck (wonders what it would feel like to trace them with his lips).

when he walks into the neo department store’s men floor that weekend, he tells himself that this must be the real reason that one moment keeps replaying in his head, he feels bad about the stain!

he spends hours piling warm colors that remind him of the deep brown of donghyuck’s eyes, ignoring the staff’s excited whispers after he gave them donghyuck’s measurements from perfect memory. from his long legs to his slim waist to his sharp jawline, how could anyone not be completely obsessed?

besides, knowing donghyuck like the back of his hand is only natural, an integral part of his job. 

“you look great,” he blurts out when donghyuck walks in two mornings later, his mouth actually betraying him this time. he makes him nervous, he makes him vulnerable, especially because donghyuck looks at him like he could break him apart with just a few words sometimes.

at that point mark knows he’s perfectly capable of it.

but even while feeling scared he’s weighed down by a deep sense of guilt because of the uncontrollable urges swimming through his head constantly. he can think of a very effective way to wipe off that infuriating smirk on donghyuck’s face, and when he slightly leans over the desk to look at something on mark’s computer he can’t help but picture bending him over. he tries to keep a straight face throughout it at all and it must make donghyuck think he never learned how to emote.

then there was that night.

it’s only when mark is alone in his bedroom, knowing donghyuck is only a locked door away, that he covers his warm pink cheeks in his hands and stifles a scream. just when he thinks he can control what he feels for donghyuck, he says something that drives him wild.

_but i always take charge. in the kitchen and elsewhere._

mark doesn’t know what donghyuck meant by that, exactly, only that he’d love for him to demonstrate. hopefully right here.

when he sits in the shower with his arms hugging his knees, he feels terrified not because he let someone into his safe space, but because he feels like donghyuck has made it safer.

he ignores the look on donghyuck’s face when he emerges in his dorky glasses. _he must think i look fucking stupid like this_ , he berates himself as he prepares for another snide remark. to his complete surprise, donghyuck doesn’t say anything. he only stares. _are they really that bad?_

after he leaves, mark learns that jerking off does not help at all.

nothing does. because for the first time in forever he knows what it feels like to miss someone, even five minutes after they’re gone, even when they’re sitting across the room. because he knows that even though he’s made astronomical leaps with their level of intimacy he still doesn’t think it’s enough. he’s being swallowed whole but still wants more.

his mind is a wreck and so is his heart, just like his office was before donghyuck came and cleaned up his mess. he’s so stupid, his office being clean makes him think of donghyuck now. the second he tries to snap out of his trance and get back to work, donghyuck bursts in unannounced, eyes lit with fire.

_i’ll help you achieve your dream, no matter what it takes._

the excuses dissipate then, clearing like the clouds after days of endless showers, and one feeling holds true. it’s one he can’t shamefully tuck away like childhood trauma or brush off like a persistent coworker. 

mark smiles.

 

donghyuck deletes the sick leave email he retyped three times and forces himself out of bed.

he already decided that making out with mark was a mistake. what good could ever come out of this? the ecstasy jolting through his body wore off after an hour or so, and he was left with a heavy sense of dread of what’s to come. 

mark barely spared him a goodbye when rushed out the door.

his selfishness and thirst proved to be destructive, in the sense that he ruined something so precious for a few minutes of bliss. _but mark kissed you back_ , that annoying voice in his head that sounds like jaemin for some reason screams at him, _he kissed you harder_.

 _mark is responsible, mark values his work above all else_ , he yells back at it. _he’s not going to throw it all away for me._

he’s quiet when donghyuck gets there that morning, no doubt trying his best to scrub yesterday from his memories completely. donghyuck decides that he doesn’t want to be the one to mention it first. after he finishes their morning briefing he lingers for a few seconds, hoping mark would say something but also desperately wishing he wouldn’t, before turning to leave.

“donghyuck,” mark says, stopping donghyuck in his tracks, and it sends a chill down his spine.

“yeah?” he breathes, and they’re in that place again. the one they left in the weekend.

mark stands up, reaches over the desk and grabs donghyuck’s tie. he kisses him deeply, not holding himself back despite it being their first contact. donghyuck feels all wobbly again, tingles running through his entire body as he tries to keep up, happiness and relief blooming inside him.

donghyuck bites his bottom lip when they break apart and smiles. “well good morning to you too, director lee.”

mark has the audacity to blush, like he didn’t just stick his tongue down donghyuck’s throat first thing in the morning. “hello.”

they stare at each other for a bit, hovering awkwardly as they both wait for the other to make the second move. after a minute, donghyuck leans away, his tie slipping away from mark’s hand.

“so, i’m gonna, just, uh–” he gestures vaguely to his own office. 

mark nods quickly. “yeah, no, yeah yeah yeah, you should. go ahead.”

he drops into his desk chair and lets out a long breath he didn’t know he was holding. he smiles to himself and rubs a finger against his lips. 

“looking exceptionally happy today, donghyuck,” johnny notes with a raised eyebrow. his eyes dart to mark’s closed door and then back to him, like he’s trying to piece something together. he might be onto them, but donghyuck doesn’t give a shit.

_mark kissed him again. mark kissed him first. mark wants to keep going._

he speeds through his morning tasks, adrenaline pumping through him. he and mark have to leave by noon for an important meeting in a neo group building across the city. he’s too cowardly to actually go back in there, opting instead to tap his feet impatiently until the clock strikes twelve.

yuta calls him a couple of times and, after the last conversation they had about doyoung, donghyuck pretends he doesn’t hear his phone ring.

it’s finally twelve. donghyuck paces back and forth, stops to make himself some coffee, downs it all in three gulps, and clenches his fist before finally going back in.

“your driver–” donghyuck says when they head down to the parking lot instead of leaving from the front entrance. mark doesn’t normally drive when they have official business. some bullshit about keeping appearances, no doubt enforced by doyoung.

“isn’t it more comfortable, if it’s just you and me?” mark asks, turning his car on before getting back out and opening the backseat door. last week these words would have been so innocent. time alone to talk about work, about their project, about books. but the look in mark’s eyes tells donghyuck he wants to do anything but talk right now.

understanding exactly what it is mark intends to do, donghyuck gets into the backseat, lifting his entire body up so hes leaning on the door. mark climbs in behind him and slides between his legs.

he wonders if this is what mark has been thinking about all morning, imagining how donghyuck would look like sprawled on the backseat of his car, waiting for mark to get on top of him. who knew he had it in him? the realization that mark still has hidden sides left for him to explore only excites donghyuck more.

he takes mark’s chin between his hands, and the haziness in mark’s eyes make him feel like he’s about to explode. they smile and mark’s eyelids flutter shut as he lets him close the distance first.

their third kiss feels familiar and tastes bitter like coffee. they go slower, their mutual thirst already satiated in the morning. donghyuck loves how mark kisses him. it’s different from when they talk, because instead of giving distant, short, answers or stumbling through his true feelings, mark does it with both purpose and direction, confident and meticulous, like this is what he was born to do.

his heart stops when mark’s lips leave his and trail down along his jaw and then to his neck. donghyuck lets out a soft _ah_ as he digs his nails into mark’s shoulder. it takes him a second to realize that mark is sucking on each one of his moles. _like’s been preparing for this forever._

he slides down against the door, melting as he his legs close in around mark’s waist. it’s only when he catches a glimpse of mark’s phone thrown in the front seat that he remembers something.

“mark, mark, mark!” donghyuck calls out to him, raising his voice so he doesn’t mistake it for groaning. having to be the responsible person is the worst.

mark pulls away slowly, and their eyes don’t meet because he’s still staring at donghyuck’s neck. “are you okay?”

“perfect,” hyuck breathes. he fixes mark’s hair. “but we’re going to be late.”

the long drive through midday city traffic is strange.

mark doesn’t talk, he opens his mouth to say something whenever the car stops but never manages to get the thought out, and terror creeps up donghyuck again. _this is it_ , he thinks, _he’s going to say that we should stop now._

and why shouldn’t they? it would only be a matter of time before they get caught if they keep fooling around in the company, and spending 12 hours of the day together won’t make this easier.

there are a million logical reasons and each one feels like a tiny cut ripping through donghyuck’s chest, reminding him that the thing he wants the most, that he has right now, does not belong to him and might never will.

the tension is visible in the lines forming at mark’s forehead, and donghyuck plays footsie with him during the meeting, enjoying the very subtle shifts in mark’s expression that only he can recognize. he promptly stops when mark’s hand tightly wraps around his thigh under the table. his breathes hitches in his throat, and the corners of mark’s lips twitch.

 

it’s three evenings later and they’re in the office at seven. everyone had already gone home.

donghyuck finds himself in mark’s lap, and mark is gripping into his thighs, seemingly finding a new part of his body to fixate on.

the door is locked but he likes to imagine that someone could walk in on them at any moment, or that their entangled figures are visible through the glass wall. 

they still haven’t said much since it all started. their kisses come at the cost of conversation, the bickering and roommate anecdotes and comic book references. it makes donghyuck question if they’re all really worth it.

but he’s too scared to open his mouth.

and mark is only getting bolder, throwing his blazer on the floor, pulling donghyuck down by his waist when he slightly hunched over his desk. 

it’s only when donghyuck’s fingers blindly fumble around the first button of mark’s shirt that the silence breaks.

“donghyuck,” mark says, taking donghyuck’s hand and wrapping it tightly around his. “can we stop and talk for a second?”

donghyuck kisses him again, but mark’s tense shoulders don’t relax. “what if i don’t want to?”

mark doesn’t reply for a while, and donghyuck knows it’s because he doesn’t know how to refuse him. the guilt eats up at him but its suppressed by his selfish needs. “why not?”

“mark, please–”

“you never hold back, you always talk to me,” he replies sharply. “why are you stopping now?”

“because i’m scared it will ruin everything. i’m scared that after we do we’ll be forced to stop,” his voice breaks into a whisper at the last word. donghyuck looks away, hating how vulnerable he is right now.

mark’s grip around him loosens, his eyes wavering, and donghyuck slips off of him and stands up. his reaction tells him all he needs to know. mark is trying to end this. he backs away, trying to leave, but mark grabs his hand.

“where are you going?” he asks, voice low.

“we’re finished here, aren’t we?” donghyuck tries to free his hand to no avail.

“that’s not fair, you didn’t listen what i have to say,” mark replies, voice tinged with desperation. donghyuck can’t bear to look at his face, so he stares at the floor. “i spent my whole life running away from confrontations, but i won’t let you do the same. i thought a lot about this donghyuck, please. if you don’t like what i say we’ll pretend nothing happened tomorrow morning. we can go back….to normal.”

donghyuck knows he doesn’t really want to leave, and he knows that if he did he might not be able to come back in again. mark doesn’t elaborate on which version of them he considers normal, and at this point he’s too scared to ask. 

he made mark a promise. _no matter what._ he sighs. “of course.”

mark sits up and squeezes donghyuck’s hand. “come on, i’ll show you something.” 

they walk out through the hallway and into the elevators. the building only looks more lifeless and cold when it’s this dark and empty, and it makes donghyuck feel more uneasy. how would his life here have been if it weren’t for mark? he always avoids wondering about it because it would send him into an existential crisis.

mark takes them ten stories up, and then, unexpectedly, the emergency exit. the lights over the never-ending flight of stairs flicker.

“are you going to murder me?” donghyuck squeaks.

and mark laughs, that hearty messy laugh that lights fireworks in donghyuck’s heart. it’s funny, this is the first time he’s heard it in a week but “who would schedule my meetings if i did?”

donghyuck smirks. “sure, that’s the only reason you’d miss me.”

mark sneaks a look at his neck moles and gulps. “and nothing else.”

he interlocks their fingers as mark leads him up to the unknown. 

if donghyuck thought the view from mark’s office was breathtaking, it was nothing compared to the rooftop. it was already dark and the sky was pitch black, but the twinkles of the seoul city lights made him feel like he was floating above the stars. he took a long drag of the crisp cold air and his head began to clear.

“i can’t believe you never showed me this place before,” donghyuck says.

mark scratches the back of his neck. “it’s officially under renovation and no one is allowed up here. but since i’m not just anyone….”

“you’re finally using your founder’s grandson privileges to do something nice for me?” donghyuck teases, and mark’s smile only grows wider. 

“you’re back to normal.”

“only because you’re not sucking on my neck,” donghyuck snaps back, and then catches himself. his tongue always moves faster than his brain. “kidding, i’ll always be myself when i’m with you.”

mark squeezes his hand and looks towards the city bellow. “my grandfather wanted to have a garden here, but he died before it could be built. after he was gone no one bothered to put his plan into motion and it’s been in this limbo ever since.”

how long has it been since he read about the neo group’s founder death? ten years? “this place _could_ use some more life.”

mark nods. “i used to come here a lot when i first started working. you know i was originally an intern, right?”

donghyuck stares at him. “is this a joke?”

“oh my god, did you think i just walked in here one day and became a director?” mark looks offended, like he’s not standing on a monstrosity of a skyscraper that belongs to his family. 

“where else would they put you? isn’t it like inheriting your throne or something?”

“no! i mean, that might have been the case for doyoung,” he doesn’t try to hide the distaste from his voice. “but i came here as a fresh graduate and worked my way up, you know how i got my current my position?”

donghyuck shakes his head. if mark graduated at twenty one or two, then it took him five years to reach the top. is his relationship with doyoung so bad that he would do this to his own brother? 

“i busted the previous guy for corruption. his office was cleaned out within two days and i naturally filled his spot.”

it’s the first time he’s seen mark look genuinely proud of himself. the quiet confidence he carries himself in is always there, but this was different. it was almost like he was bragging to donghyuck, and donghyuck felt proud of him too, but he was also overcome with worry.

“you did it all alone.”

“that’s why i spent so much time here, the moment my coworkers found out who i was they turned into different people. it was revolting, i couldn’t even pretend to be nice anymore.”

“then came me,” donghyuck whispers. he rests his head on mark’s shoulder, and mark puts an arm around his waist. it’s the first time they’ve had a real conversation while being intimate, and it doesn’t feel as terrifying as donghyuck thought it would be.

“then came you, and i don’t remember how i endured these years before you. you breathed life into a place i hated and made me happier than i thought i was capable of, especially under the current circumstances.” he turns to face donghyuck. “i don’t want us to stop, donghyuck.”

donghyuck cups his face, cold and dry and terrified, and leaves a soft kiss on his lips. mark kisses him back hungirly, almost by reflex.

he frowns when they break away. “you’re not saying anything back.”

“and you’re saying so much i don’t know what to begin!” donghyuck says, lightly drumming his fist against mark’s chest. 

“do you need a second to process?” mark asks. 

“i would like that, yes.”

“can i kiss you while you think?” 

donghyuck bites his bottom lip and nods. mark smiles into their kiss, his warm body pressing against his, and it’s easy for donghyuck to figure out exactly what it is he’d like to say. when mark kisses him like this, with tenderness he doesn’t reveal to anyone else, the answer is clear.

“okay, i’m done,” he mumbles against mark’s mouth.

mark moves down to leave pecks along his jawline. “so say it.”

he takes a deep breath and opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. “i’m too scared.”

he’d always thought of himself as the the type who’d lay his entire heart open, the polar opposite of mark, but when it came to real vulnerabilities he clammed up and refused to let mark in. the truth is, he’s been mark’s support rock for so long that he doesn’t know how to truly be weak around him.

“what happened to the donghyuck honesty package?” mark pleads. it feels so strange to have him be the one begging donghyuck to open up. more than anything, his heart clenches at how mark remembers every detail of every conversation they’ve had. 

“okay,” another long breath. “okay, i’m ready.”

mark looks nervous too, donghyuck’s long silence instilling doubts in his mind.  “tell me.”

“i’m in love with you.”

“wow.”

“yeah,” donghyuck looks down. he feels like he’s going to pass out, and mark’s expression is completely unreadable. “that’s the reason i stayed here, that’s the reason i want to keep making you happy, and that’s why i kissed you. so if you want to continue making out because you– you– i don’t know–”

“because i want to fuck you?”

“that, yeah. not that i don’t want you to, because let me tell you, i do and i have for, uh, an embarrassing amount of time but–” his train of thought goes off track and into imminent disaster very quickly, and now all the dreams he’s had about mark are rushing through his brain. “i can’t believe you just said that!”

he breaks into a fit of nervous giggles and buries his head into mark’s shoulder. this is not how his romantic confession was meant to go. mark is laughing too, shaking as he wraps his arms around donghyuck.

“with everything i’ve said already, it feels redundant,” mark says. donghyuck does not agree at all, he needs him to say something back before his wobbly knees finally stop functioning. “but i love you too, i have since you told me you were going to help me make my dreams come true. i guess in a way, you just achieved one of them.”

“oh my god mark lee, you nerd,” donghyuck replies. he was expecting mark to turn in the opposite direction and run. _i love you._ it doesn’t feel real, donghyuck didn’t even dare imagine it.  “you’re so corny and i love you. tell me something.”

“yeah?”

he’s not sure how he should phrase this without it coming out wrong, but donghyuck has already said an extrodinary amount of stupid things already. “i’m so used to you getting nervous and mumbling when i force you to confront your feelings, but you sound so calm and it’s scaring me. in a good way.”

“because i don’t have any doubts about you, donghyuck.” mark turns red, as if he just remembered that he’s supposed to, and then his voice turns soft. “i hope you didn’t make me wait just so you could say that.”

“no way, i’ve embarrassed myself enough.” he tries to look away again but mark rests a hand on his cheek to stop him.

“please, donghyuck.”

it’s not fair, how is donghyuck supposed to resist him? “okay, i’ve probably had feelings for you since you laughed at my stupid bread pun, but i didn’t realize it until that day in your apartment. i went crazy over how cute you look in your glasses, but i think you’re just as handsome right now. i love how you can be so adorable and sweet and dorky but also sweep me off my feet, with your confidence and your passion and the way your eyes absolutely light up when you talk about the things you love,” it’s only then that donghyuck realizes he can spot the sparkles right now. have they always been there? “i used to hate how you said my name because you sounded so distant but now the way you say it is probably my favorite thing about you. are you satisfied?”

“i could listen to you forever.”

“prepare yourself for forever then, director lee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that happened!
> 
> thank you for reading and i would love to hear your thoughts 💚 you can also find me on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


	11. Chapter 11

“i love the sound of your laugh, i love when you push back your hair when you’re nervous, i love that puppy eyed look on your face when you’re hungry but you’re too embarrassed to tell m–”

“alright, alright! i get it already,” mark laughs, trying to cover his flushed face with his long fingers. “please stop now.”

“you said forever,” donghyuck reminds him, squeezing himself into the small space between mark’s desk and his chair. his thighs tightly wrap around the fabric of his perfectly tailored suit, and he smiles to himself when mark’s eyes trail down. it’s so easy for him to figure out which parts of donghyuck he craves the most.

it’s only been a couple of days, but he feels like it was a lifetime away. having complete, unrestricted access to mark’s lips has certainly made his life easier, but what donghyuck likes the most is that they can talk again. more openly than ever. 

“so you came rushing in so early this morning–”

“because i remembered a few more things,” donghyuck says proudly. he came in an hour earlier than usual, and he’s not embarrassed to admit that it’s so he could spend more time with mark. besides, donghyuck hasn’t been able to get much sleep lately, because he loves his current reality so much that his body is unwilling to let give him a break from it. “i’m never going to run out of little things to love about you. you unleashed a monster, mark lee.”

“that’s not fair–"

“you do more than enough, i promise,” donghyuck replies as he bends down to kiss him. that shuts up mark right up, as his protests melt into a happy deep sound at the back of his throat. he’s just so loud, very inconvenient for making out in public. not that this was going to stop donghyuck. 

it’s only when his thigh brush against mark’s groin, that he notices the tent forming in his pants.

“oh my god,” is all donghyuck can say, and mark refuses to look him in the eye. he slides away the hands veering down donghyuck’s waist just seconds ago.

“w–we should probably stop–” he mumbles, even though his dick certainly doesn’t want him to.

donghyuck pouts. “but we always do.”

they’ve been in the midst of preparing for a major acquisition of an american company on top of their secret project. it’s a miracle they have any spare time to make out at all.

“you could come over later tonight–” mark says that every time, but donghyuck doesn’t want to put him through physically taxing activities when he looks deathly exhausted by the end of the day. so he sends him home alone with strict instructions on how to heat the food in his fridge and the amount of hours he should sleep. this morning though, mark is fresh and well rested.

he kisses his face. from the tip of his nose to the mole on his cheek. “mark, what is my job as your assistant?”

mark is almost offended by the question, that he would bring up work when he’s like this. “coffee? meetings? do i look like i can _think_ right now?”

 _bzzzt_ , wrong answer. “it’s to help you, and i think you could use some help right now.”

he kneels down and rubs his thumbs along the inside of mark’s thighs. mark leans back into his chair, breathing heavily, and his legs spread apart, easily opening up to donghyuck. he’s so cute, donghyuck thinks, easily wound up and barely putting up a fight after donghyuck settles down there. 

they don’t talk about it, but they’ve clearly both had fantasies that took place in this very office, which is why donghyuck feels a lot more excited when they’re kissing in broad daylight. 

“what’s on your mind?” he asks suddenly. it’s still hard to believe that mark is just as into him, that he’s just as desperate as he is, and he’d like to hear it one more time, just to be sure.

mark rolls his eyes and his legs shudder impatiently. “jesus fuck–”

“i want to know!”

he looks down at donghyuck, and through his hazy eyes there’s a deep warmth and fondness that sets his heart on fire. not so hard to believe now. “this is the prettiest you’ve ever looked. just like this.”

donghyuck is satisfied with his answer. “prettiest _yet_ , you should see how i look with your dick in my mouth.”

mark snorts, covering his mouth, and then laughs, stifling giggles as his body shakes. “you’re incredible,” he says.

“i actually gave this a lot of thought. sometimes you’d be talking about some work related bullshit and i can’t focus because i’m thinking about whether or not i’d be able to fit in the space down here, or how sharp the edges of the desk are and if it would hurt if i was pressed against them. you know, the logistics of getting fucked in your office.”

“are you trying to make me come in my pants?”

donghyuck folds his arms and rests them over mark’s thighs, the mention of cum makes him gulp audibly. his knees are starting to hurt, but he thinks it’s good practice. he should get used to it now. “is that really all it takes?”

mark’s eyes are devoid of humor, sweat beads forming in his forehead and his breaths gradually growing more labored with every exhale. “from you? yes.”

his voice is low and deep, reminiscent of the voice call and the time he protected him from yuta in jeju. donghyuck begins to struggle to hold himself back any longer. he unbuckles mark’s belt. “i think i’ve teased you enough.” 

“no shit,” mark hisses, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt and loosening his tie.

donghyuck laughs, equally endeared and turned on by his, er, angry enthusiasm. “you’ve never been this mad at me before, you have your priorities straight.”

his smile is wiped from his face when he finally pulls mark’s pants and underwear down to his feet, and the full length of his cock greets him in all its glory. mark lee got hard from kissing him. it’s all too difficult for him to process.

he looks up at mark’s hooded eyes. he’s biting his bottom lip and heaving as his legs twitch and spread farther apart. he’s a work of art, and he’s all donghyuck’s.

“please, donghyuck,” mark pleads.

donghyuck wraps his hand and mark lets out a soft, drawn out _ah_ as soon as they come in contact. he tries a couple of experimental strokes, wet and coated in mark’s leaking precum. mark’s hips roll into him involuntarily, and he quickly realizes that mark won’t last long, so he gets to work.

“you’re so hot, and so good,” donghyuck tells him, words failing him and his heart throbbing against his chest. he sticks his tongue out and licks around the head, and mark goes wild.

“donghyuck– donghyuck– i– can’t–”

“alright, baby,” he replies, the nickname slipping out of his mouth without him even noticing. mark is just so fucking cute, even when he’s begging donghyuck to finish him off.

he takes mark’s entire length into his mouth, and his first thought is how good it would feel to be stretched out and fucked by it. it’s a pity he only gets a little taste for now. mark, still shuddering in pleasure, lightly grabs at his hair. 

donghyuck doesn’t need a lot of help, as mark’s tiny thrusts help him establish a rhythm. he hollows his cheeks and maintains eye contact with mark, whose string of moans grow progressively more incoherent.

 “ah– h-hyuck– i’m about to–”

donghyuck’s pink, swollen lips let go with a loud pop, and mark comes all over his face.

“shit–” mark swears in english. his eyes are shut tight, and his breathing slows into a steady pace. it’s the most relaxed donghyuck has seen him in weeks. “fuck. you. _donghyuck_.”

“told you i looked better.” donghyuck licks the cum around his mouth before unsteadily standing back up to kiss mark, who holds him in place by groping his ass. donghyuck gasps into his mouth, he’s never done that before. 

it takes them both a few minutes, but mark eventually manages to calm down long enough to be able to form coherent sentences. “i truly am in love with you.”

“after one blowjob. i’ve never felt so powerful,” donghyuck teases. “i’m in love with you too, dork.”

mark takes his hand, the one that was just wrapped around his dick earlier, and squeezes it tightly. “when do i get to return the favor?”

donghyuck didn’t even think that far, just getting to watch mark come because of him made him feel happy and content. there is so much that he wants mark to do to him that’s he not sure where to start. mark sees the deer in the headlights look on his face and giggles, finally having the upperhand. 

he’s about to make a suggestion when they hear muffled voices right outside the door. fuck, it’s past eight now and people are starting to pour into the office. mark hastily puts his pants back on and donghyuck shuffles away until he’s at a professional distance. he wipes the rest of his face with a tissue. 

“let’s talk about it later,” donghyuck winks, and mark nods. 

“donghyuck?” he turns around. 

“love you,” mark says again, like the first time wasn’t enough to express all the feelings bubbling inside his chest.

“love you too.”

donghyuck’s first stop is the bathroom. he washes his face and wishes he could have seen how it looked with mark’s cum covering it. his knees are still sore while his mouth is tangy, and they feel like badges of honor.

he’s about to head out when he hears two familiar voices, one he instantly recognizes as yuta’s while the other he can’t exactly place.

yuta sounds nervous, an emotion donghyuck didn't think he was capable of experiencing. “you shouldn’t have–”

“what am i supposed to do, yuta? and who are you to tell me i can't be here?” there is a long pause. “i’m sorry. there was no excuse for that, sorry. i’m under a lot of stress.”

where does he know this voice from? donghyuck racks his brain as he tries to figure it out, and then feels stupid for hiding in the bathroom instead of walking out. if yuta wants to have a serious conversation in the middle of this very public hallway that’s on him. 

“i can see that, which is why you shouldn't have,” yuta’s voice melts, and donghyuck begins to think that he doesn’t know this person at all. “it’s going to be alright.”

“i’m not so sure about that anymore.”

 “you need to relax. jungwoo’s here for the week, we could all go out for some drinks later tonight.”

the other person’s voice softens at the mention of jungwoo. “you and jungwoo, huh? i didn’t think you’d be more open about your relationship.”

“if it makes you feel better….” their voices begin to trail off.

“jaehyun is going to be ecstatic, you don’t know how long he’s been waiting–”

it finally clicks for donghyuck, and before he takes a second to think he swings the door open, and his heart stops.

doyoung was already walking away, but he turns around and looks at him. he and mark look nothing alike but he’s handsome in the same polished inapproachable way. while jaehyun was warm and welcoming, doyoung instills his heart with fear. especially because the playful smile he was directing at yuta disappears the second he looks at him. his eyes are sharp and his gaze is cold. it could just be that he looks at everyone like that, but something deep inside donghyuck tells him that it’s directed at him and him alone.

he feels like his body had been turned into ice.

 

yuta corners him by the elevator around noon. donghyuck doesn’t bother to stifle his groan this time. he’s been conspicuously sitting at his desk with his head down, trying to look as busy as possible for hours. but _someone_ needs to grab mark’s lunch, a fact that yuta is unfortunately aware of.

he’s as polite and professional as always. “you haven’t talked to mark.” 

“what do you want me to say?” donghyuck asks. he’s still shaking from their earlier encounter. “who the fuck am i to talk to him about his private family matters?”

donghyuck wonders if mark grew up with this man or if he hasn’t always been this way. their childhood pictures are still seared into the back of his mind like he saw them yesterday. nevertheless, it answers none of the questions he has and instead adds a hundred more into the pile.

but he’s not ready to ask mark yet. 

“the only person he fucking listens to in this company,” yuta replies. he gives him an up and down look. “among other things.”

this is it. donghyuck has had enough of being played around with and used like a pawn in this feud that he does not even comprehend. “maybe i’d know what to fucking say if someone explained to me what the fuck is going on?”

“oh,” yuta blinks. “he hasn’t talked to you about it?”

donghyuck exhales loudly, frustrated. “we’ve been busy with the ‘other things.’”

yuta’s face turns a disgusted shade of green, and he covers his mouth like he’s about to hurl.  “ugh, why did i ever hire you?”

“i don’t know,” donghyuck answers honestly. he has long given up on trying to understand why he ended up here, and decided to chalk it up to destiny or some soulmate related bullshit. nothing else makes a plausible explanation as to how he and mark lee crossed paths. he thinks mark would strongly agree. “maybe it’s the same reason you’re dating kim jungwoo of all people.”

“if it weren’t for mark’s protection–”

“i’d be packing my things and kicked out the front door, yeah yeah, blah blah blah. can i get back to work now? taeil just broke the copy machine again.” and he misses mark. he needs to see mark. it’s been an hour since he looked at mark’s face. 

“asshole.”

“mr. nakamoto.”

 

truthfully, donghyuck is still learning how to be mark’s boyfriend.

“i’m going out with my boyfriend later today,” donghyuck says as he saunters over to the couch at three in the afternoon. he just woke up and it’s almost time for a rerun of his favorite drama. 

there is a collective groan from his roommates. yangyang rolls his eyes. “we get it.”

“get what?”

“‘my boyfriend lent me his book,’ ‘i forgot my sweater at my boyfriend’s place,’ ‘i think my boyfriend’s brother is plotting my murder,’” jaemin repeats in a high pitched voice that sounds nothing like donghyuck, thank you very much. “you can just say mark.”

“i get why yangyang would be jealous of me, but what’s with you?” donghyuck says, trying to hide his embarrassment. it just feels so nice to say. “renjun would be happy for me. where is renjun?”

jeno, jaemin, and yangyang exchange confused looks. “now that you mention it, i haven’t seen him in two days,” yangyang says.

“huh, me neither,” jeno shrugs.

“you guys lost renjun?”

“you didn’t notice he was gone either!” jaemin has a point. 

they all stare at each other for a minute, guilt thick in the air, before donghyuck comes up with a reasonable explanation. “he probably fell asleep in the library again.”

jeno clasps his hands together. “totally!”

jaemin nods. “makes total sense.”

“so what’s this about lee doyoung trying to murder you?” yangyang wonders, already forgetting about his missing roommate.

“i finally saw my _boyfriend’s brother_ , and he did not look happy to see me.” he had only told jaemin and then realized how crazy he sounded recounting the event and kept it to himself from there on.

yangyang’s eyes widen. “oh fuck, what did he say.”

“what do you mean?”

“what did you guys talk about?” jeno eggs him on impatiently. 

“we….looked at each other.” this is exactly why he didn’t want to tell them! “and then he walked away. without smiling, mind you.”

“nice, lee donghyuck. you’re a mind reader now,” yangyang claps sarcastically, disappointed and unimpressed.

“wish he’d read my mind when he’s going on and on about that comic book mark likes and realize i don’t give a single shit,” jaemin mutters under his breath.

“uncultured swine.” donghyuck throws a couch cushion at him.

 

he meets mark at jamsil station three hours later.

“the glasses,” is the first donghyuck says, and mark responds by giggling shyly and pushing them up his nose. 

“you said you liked them, so….”

he takes donghyuck’s hand, and then tangles and untangles their fingers. donghyuck has had him come on his face but he still thinks that this is more exhilarating. it’s a saturday evening, and although the station is so crowded and loud that he can barely hear himself speak, donghyuck feels like they’re in their own world.

“so what are we doing today?” he asks. 

mark lets go of his hand, only to reveal his adorable habit of clinging to his arm and bringing his face closer whenever they talk. it’s a little awkward, but only because neither of them are used to existing around each other as boyfriends yet. 

“have you thought about what you’re wearing to the party next weekend?”

right. the party. yukhei. he suddenly knows where renjun must have disappeared off to.

“not at all, actually.”

“i thought you didn’t, and i also thought it would be fun if we went out and picked something together.”

“woah, director lee. is this your way of trying to get me out of my clothes?”

he expects mark to become flustered, but he just shakes his head. “that part comes later,” he says, voice low.

donghyuck crosses his arms around his chest. “director lee!”

mark purposely chose a rival conglomerate’s department store to avoid being recognized by staff, and it’s different than when they’re in the office. he walks around with donghyuck on his arm confidently.

“what did you have in mind for me?” donghyuck asks as mark takes one step up the escalator and turns around so they’re facing each other. 

“wait, do you _really_ want to give me free reign?” 

“why do you say that like you have something sinister in mind?” donghyuck asks, ignoring the side eye he just received from the middle aged woman a step ahead of them. mark turns that familiar shade of pink. “ah-hah! so you were!”

“i wasn’t until you made that stupid comment!”

“you’re so easy to rile up, cute,” he gets on his tiptoes to leave a quick peck on mark’s lips, and then watches as his boyfriend’s face blooms red.

they wind up in a large, private dressing room at the back of the store with a large pile of mark’s selections. a particularly nosy salesperson was hovering over their shoulders the entire time and offered to help donghyuck get dressed, but was curtly chased off by mark. 

yuta’s _you shouldn't have_ and his increasing warnings weigh on his mind, and even something as minor as an overly enthusiastic salesperson flares donghyuck’s paranoia up. ever since he met doyoung, it feels like he never left him. always lurking in the shadows, ready to wreck everything at every given moment.

whatever, he has a bigger problem to deal with now.

“i can turn around if you’d like,” mark offers awkwardly, when donghyuck’s fists hover over his own shirt for a whole minute.

“first of all, every wall in this room is a giant mirror,” donghyuck says. mark picking this place in particular is no coincidence. “second, ‘ _picking something together’_ my ass, mark lee.” 

“you don’t have to be so blunt about it,” mark retorts in a small voice, looking down like he’s been caught red handed. 

donghyuck snickers, and then finally pulls off his shirt, and mark audibly gulps. his jeans go next, and he maintains eye contact with mark, gauging his reaction, but he’s frozen where he’s sitting on the sofa.

“which one should i try first?” he asks.

mark snaps out of his daze. “huh? n–no, let me–”

he jumps out of his seat and swipes through every dress shirt he picked out in an almost robotic manner, taking only a second to process each one before landing on one he likes. donghyuck doesn’t protest, he can’t tell the difference anyway.

“arms up,” he whispers, and donghyuck complies. mark doesn’t look up, laser focused on fitting  the shirt on donghyuck’s tan skin.

“you know you always do that thing,” mark says as he buttons him up, taking his sweet time with each one. 

“what thing?” donghyuck asks, breathless. would he just make a move already?

“whenever you’re teasing me,” he explains, eyes still down. “you never just say mark. it’s always _director lee_ or _mark lee_.”

donghyuck takes mark’s chin in his hand and forces him to look at him. “okay, mark.”

mark kisses him first, slowly at first and then progressively more hungry. they stagger back into the couch and donghyuck settles on his lap as mark sneaks his long fingers through his half buttoned shirt and into his waist.

a loud and aggressive knock interrupts them, and donghyuck’s heart sinks deep into his stomach. doyoung’s cold eyes materialize in his mind and he’s filled with that sense of dread again.

his lips tremble as he says the next words. “mark, maybe we shouldn’t go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> took me forever but i finally got to the point where i could change the rating to E lmao!!!!
> 
> as always thanks for reading and please let me know your thoughts<333 im also on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


	12. Chapter 12

“what’s wrong– donghyuck, look at me. what’s wrong?” mark asks after politely telling the staff at the door to fuck off. he presses his hand on donghyuck’s cheek, and donghyuck drops his head into his shoulder. 

“i just have a bad feeling about it all,” he says. he still can’t get himself to tell mark about yuta’s constant warnings, because he knows his boyfriend would raise hell on him. it’s not that he’s grown fond of yuta or anything disgusting like that, but donghyuck can see this little spark in him sometimes. he knows that underneath his rough exterior, yuta genuinely cares about mark.

“bad feeling?” 

donghyuck shifts uncomfortably. “yeah, like, don’t you think it would be better if we ask yukhei to set up a formal meeting instead?”

mark considers this for a minute, and then he takes donghyuck’s hand in his. they feel so familiar now, like home. donghyuck breathes, and the knots in his stomach unravel. 

“as long as you’re with me, we’re going to be alright,” mark says in an even voice. his eyes are steady, and he says every word slowly and clearly. it’s easy to forget sometimes, but donghyuck is just as dependent on mark, for laughs and for comfort and for a sense of stability. a purpose.

donghyuck kisses him, and he smiles, threading their fingers together again. 

“i trust you,” he whispers, and they both know he doesn’t only mean the party. _i trust you with my life_.

and although his heart is at peace that night, it ignites with worry soon after he and mark separate.

instead of the burning curiosity he feels whenever he looks at doyoung’s smiling face as he walks into work every morning, donghyuck is now filled with dread. he avoids looking at his eyes as much as he can, as if doyoung can stare back at him through the screen.

donghyuck doesn’t want to know anymore, he doesn’t care about what happened all these years and he just wishes it could all disappear. an impossible wish, he realizes, considering that he’s forced to be in the lion’s den every fucking day.

he tries to work up the courage to tell mark about yuta constantly hounding him and his final warning, but mark always looks so happy around him, so free of the stress he’s always carrying because of work and his family and donghyuck can’t allow himself to become a part of that too. 

so smiling and pretending everything is fine it is.

 

donghyuck wakes up in mark’s bed next saturday morning.

it all happened so fast, and mostly by accident. mark invited him back again, more insistent this time because the party was this weekend and they were going together anyway. donghyuck saw the dark crescents under his eyes but couldn’t get himself to say no anymore, not when mark sleepily dragged him with both of his hands. 

half an hour later, they’re making out in his room, half of their clothes already scattered on the floor. mark pushes donghyuck onto his bed and climbs on top of him. and then he falls asleep. donghyuck groans, in both relief and deep sexual frustration.

mark sleeps like a kitten. curling up his limbs together, his slow, steady breathing is sometimes interrupted with tiny sighs and hums that lull donghyuck’s heavy eyelids to finally close.

mark’s wide awake and staring at him when he opens them again.

“good morning,” he stifles a yawn and presses a peck on mark’s lips.

“you sleep really cute, did i tell you that?” mark replies, blinding reaching for his glasses on the dresser and pushing them up his nose. “i thought it when i stayed over at your place but i can’t remember if i said it.”

donghyuck shakes his head. “you didn’t say it.” 

“well then, you sleep really cute,” he says sternly. 

“maybe i should sleep here every night then,” he smirks. “so you could look at my face.” 

“yeah, and nothing else,” mark snorts. 

donghyuck’s stomach is growling, but he stays in bed an extra hour, kissing every corner of mark’s face and tangling their bodies together and sometimes falling back asleep on his chest. mark feels like coming home.

they’re both fully awake by twelve, and donghyuck wastes no time making their very late breakfast, featuring all of mark’s favorites.

the sun is in the middle of the sky now, casting a beautiful glow on mark’s apartment, and donghyuck realizes he’s never been here during the day. mark is sitting by the kitchen table, watching him with his cheek in his hand. “remember that time at the grocery store, when we pretended we were married?”

donghyuck considers crawling inside the oven and never coming out again. how was he that shameless and embarrassing before he even had a clue about his feelings for mark? “i’d rather not to.” 

still, it’s nice to think back to that day. it was so easy when they pretended they were just friends and donghyuck’s lack of filter and fear of consequences made things a lot more interesting. maybe what he said about forever wasn’t a joke. maybe he’d like to throw the pretending part out the window.

“it kinda feels like that right now.”

mark is right. the morning kisses, the hundred _i love you_ s they’ve exchanged since they’ve woken up, the apron donghyuck is wearing around the sweatshirt he dug out of mark’s closet.

the fact that he knows this kitchen almost as well as his own.

“mark–”

“i’m happy you’re here,” he tells him. “i know it wasn’t easy, but i’m happy you’re here.”

he would be lying if he said he still wasn’t scared, but whatever anxieties donghyuck had before were sedated by mark’s words. 

donghyuck looks down, trying to hide the blush spreading across his face. “your eggs are almost ready.”

mark helps him get dressed later. he hums as he ties donghyuck’s bowtie, and then turns him around, both his hands pressed on his shoulders so they could both admire at his tailored tuxedo in his full length mirror.

donghyuck’s reflection barely feels like himself. for the first time ever, he thinks he looks like he belongs in neo group, like mark has finally made him his.

“you look lovely,” mark whispers in his ear.

“me or the clothes?” donghyuck can’t resist. 

“you, you, your stupid face and your mouth that just won’t stop talking.” his hands slip down to wrap down around donghyuck’s waist, and he rests his head on his back. “so happy you’re here.”

tonight is a big step forward for mark, he’s never been closer to achieving his dream and all he’s been doing is comforting donghyuck. it should be the other way around. he’s the one who should always be here for mark.

“are you nervous?” he asks, kicking himself for only remembering to do so now.

“donghyuck, if you really don’t want to g–”

“that’s not it,” donghyuck shakes his head. “this might be one of the biggest nights of your life, how do you feel?”

mark meets his eyes in the mirror again, and donghyuck’s concerned face makes him frown. “i’m so happy that i barely have the capacity to feel scared. don’t worry about me.”

“are you sure? b–because regardless, i want you to know that you’re the smartest person i know and that you’re going to do amazing. you’re going to crush it, mark,” donghyuck says what’s on his mind anyway, because he wants mark to know regardless of whether he needs to or not.

mark laughs. “i know i will.”

 

the weishen charity gala is the biggest event of the year that nobody talks about. the conglomerate’s ceo, mr. wong, invites a hundred of his closest associates to a different country every year with the request that they keep the media out. it was just mark’s luck that he decided on a rooftop of a hotel in the heart of seoul this time around.

the ‘associates’ just happen to be some of the richest and most influential people on the planet. the fact that yukhei called it a party, as if it was a fun family gathering, was hilarious to donghyuck.

“i’m nervous,” he whispers to mark on the elevator ride to the top. the anxiety had balled itself firmly into his stomach and there was nothing he could do to make it go away. what if jung yunho tells them off? what if they get separated and he loses mark for the rest of the night? what if this is all a trap?

mark puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes tight. the knots momentarily turn into butterflies. he doesn't have reassuring words, only a kiss that knocks donghyuck’s breath right out of his lungs. 

the elevator dings, and he pulls away with a smile. “you’re with me.”

donghyuck nods, trying his best to look okay. even though he really isn’t.

“also, i’m going to need every ounce of willpower in my body to keep my hands off you tonight.” mark’s long fingers hover over donghyuck’s ass before pressing into it, only for a couple of seconds.

donghyuck doesn’t have a moment to process what mark just did, because their host is waiting for them at the entrance. 

“sicheng, hendery, xiaojun,” yukhei points at each of his friends with the glass of champagne in his hand. “older brother, actual real life prince, and heir to dream launch records.” sicheng nods, and then whispers something to renjun, while hendery–

wait.

“what the fuck? where the hell have you been?” donghyuck yells, cutting yukhei’s introduction short. his best friend had fit himself into yukhei’s clique so well that he could barely tell him apart. he looks so different tonight, his face no longer hidden by his mop of messy chestnut hair, and his suit fit him better than the plain hoodies and jeans that make up ninety percent of his closet. also, because he was standing behind yukhei and peeking out of his shoulder. stupid giant yukhei.

renjun’s face is a blank board. he steps in front of donghyuck and crosses his arms. “how long did it take you to notice i was gone?”

donghyuck hesitates for a split second, a dead giveaway. “the moment you disappeared!”

“how long, donghyuck?”

“around three days…”

renjun rolls his eyes, tugs at yukhei’s sleeve until he bends down, and swears up a storm into his ear. donghyuck recognizes enough of the words to know he’s plotting his slow and painful death.

“it’s fine! i lose him sometimes too,” yukhei, much to his….boyfriend’s? dismay, agrees with donghyuck. “he is very small.” 

sicheng snorts so hard the contents of the glass that was between his lips come splashing out of his nose. renjun shoves him lightly. “it’s not funny!”

“it kinda is,” hendery shrugs. his nonchalance at renjun’s misery wins donghyuck over immediately. 

“ha, renjun thought he could escape us only to get bullied by another group of dorks,” he says to mark in a stage whisper. “wait until yangyang hears about this.”

“who’s yangyang?” xiaojun asks.

“the worst person you’ll ever meet,” donghyuck says at the same time renjun mumbles “no one.”

“everything i’ve heard about this yangyang makes me want to meet him less,” yukhei says.

“you guys are so mean, he’s not even here to defend himself,” mark tries to intervene. “i guess the same could be said about renjun, you know they thought you were sleeping at the library this entire time?”

“all while he was climbing hong kong’s tallest skyscraper,” donghyuck adds.

sicheng scrunches his nose. “gross, that’s my brother.”

“i’m going to kill you,” renjun says, but in korean this time.

“you didn’t check if he was at the library?” hendery wonders. “are you not allowed in there or something? i’ve never been to a library.”

 _oh my god_ , donghyuck internally gasps. _he’s just yangyang with a significantly fatter bank account_. 

“we can tell,” sicheng politely informs him.

yukhei senses an all out war on the verge of breaking between his friends, so he pats mark’s back. “he’s here, by the way.”

mark and donghyuck look at each other, and donghyuck smiles reassuringly. “let’s not keep him waiting,” he says.

jung yunho is a tall, classically handsome man in his late forties. he’s beautiful in the same way jaehyun is, donghyuck thinks, radiating a warm aura despite his perfectly sculpted face. he’s laughing to a group of adoring older ladies when the three of them approach him.

“yukhei!” he pulls him into a hug. “how have you been? i hope your niece is enjoying the books i sent over.”

“she loves them, mr. jung, i can’t thank you enough” yukhei says. he pushes mark forward. “i want to introduce you to my friends, neo group’s lee donghyuck and mark lee. mark is lee doyoung’s younger brother.”

the name _neo_ wipes yunho’s smile off right away. “nice to meet you,” he nods politely. 

so mark’s attempts to contact them were actively being ignored. donghyuck is discouraged, but mark’s confidence is unshakable.

“i’m a huge fan, mr. jung. have been for years,” he shakes yunho’s hand so hard it turns into a blur. “it’s an honor to finally meet you.”

“i’ve heard about you, some whispers here and there. if i’m not mistaken, you seem to have a lot of interest in _sun & moon_.”

“yes! you can’t imagine ho–”

yunho cuts him off. “but, and forgive me for being perfectly candid, i have no intention of selling my publishing house to a soulless corporation.” 

this is it. they’ve tried and completely failed. donghyuck’s heart shatters, all their hard work, all of mark’s hard work just went up in flames. he’s about to open his mouth and intervene, but mark, still unfazed by yunho’s distaste for him, beats him to it.

“if you could just give me a chance to discuss it first, mr. jung–”

“i first started working at _sun & moon _ twenty years ago, just a little after it was founded. i shaped its identity with my bare hands, it’s my life’s work. we might be strapped for cash, but i’m not going to just sell it off to the highest bidder. when we’re finally forced to shut down, it will at least have a dignified death.”

mark listens to him attentively. “of course, you transformed the indie book scene and legendary names like shim changmin and kim taeyeon had their start with you.”

jung yunho is shocked into shutting up. donghyuck smirks. “you’ve done your homework.”

“mark could write a book about your company if he could,” donghyuck says, and mark looks embarrassed for the first time tonight.

“i love books, sir, just as much as you do. and i’m not going to take your legacy for granted.”

“that’s one hell of a pitch, kid.”

“all i ask for is a chance.” mark stands his ground.

there is a long, tense silence where yunho stares at mark like he’s trying to drill a hole inside his brain and inspect the contents. mark couldn’t be more honest. his sincerity shining through every word. if people took more than a second to get to know him, they would learn that what they see is what they get. donghyuck furiously prayed that yunho would.

“we’ve been working hard on a plan to save _sun & moon _ for months, just me and mark,” he says. “it’s a project born purely out of love.”

“i despise neo group and everything it stands for,” yunho finally says as he takes a card out of his pocket. “but you, i like you. here’s my number, call me whenever you feel like getting coffee.”

mark’s eyes widen, and his first instinct is to turn to donghyuck, who gasps and clasps his hands together. “thank you so much, mr. jung!”

“just for a chat about books,” yunho emphasizes, waving the card out of his reach. “for now.”

“since you’re already here, can we discuss the latest release? take over the moon is incredible–”

donghyuck watches the stars light up in mark’s eyes again and smiles fondly. he knows his boyfriend will win this stubborn old man over in no time. how anyone can withstand being with him for five minutes without falling head over heels is beyond him.

maybe he’s a little biased.

“you did great,” he whispers to mark as he leaves him to nerd out over books.

donghyuck tries to find renjun again to bully him out of all the juicy yukhei details he’s kept from them, but it’s hard when it’s dark and his friend is around a head shorter than most of the attendees. he should have never let himself get separated from mark in the first place, he thinks after spending fifteen minutes circling the venue without a glimpse of a familiar face.

then he sees them and his blood runs cold.

jaehyun’s laughing. not like the one donghyuck heard before, it’s bashful and spontaneous instead of polite and controlled. it’s no wonder, he’s more himself around his fiance.

mark. mark. he has to tell mark. right now.

he takes two steps back, shaking, and bumps into an old man behind him. he bows and mumbles a string of apologies as the man walks away, furious. when donghyuck looks back jaehyun and doyoung are both staring at him. he stole their full attention. 

doyoung’s eyes are just as deadly, first a little confused and then widening in recognition. jaehyun gives him a weak smile.

donghyuck feels like he’s going to throw up. 

he pushes through the attendees, heart beating a million miles per minute as he tries to find mark again. he was right, his anxiety was right, that awful feeling he got when he saw doyoung for the first time was dead accurate. 

he finally finds mark standing alone, his eyes nervously scanning the crowd before they land on him, and then his face breaks into the softest grin he had ever seen. donghyuck smiles too, and everything is okay for a few seconds.

“mark!”

it’s doyoung’s voice, the one that welcomes donghyuck to work every morning. he could swear he could hear mark’s heart stop.

“you're here.” mark looks around him. he can’t make a scene in a place like this, not when every person present knows exactly who doyoung is. his brother couldn't have chosen a more perfect place to corner him.

doyoung isn't angry. it’s not the fury that donghyuck feared and expected. his shoulders are relaxed, his face is even and doesn’t display a hint of distress. somehow that only makes him more terrifying.

“i’m so relieved i could see you again, i know you’ve been–” there is a strain between his words. jaehyun quickly recognizes it and puts a firm arm around his fiance’s waist. doyoung subconsciously leans into it. “very busy at work.”

mark barely contains himself, and donghyuck wishes he could grab his hand and drag him out of here, but the logical (barely functioning) part of his brain reminds him that exposing their relationship to doyoung might not be a great idea. 

“did you plan this?” he asks, voice so hushed only the four of them could hear it. “like you did in jeju?”

doyoung laughs, like mark just told him a hilarious joke. he’s keeping appearances for anyone who might be looking at them. chills run down donghyuck’s spine. “i didn't do anything in jeju, that was all jungwoo. please believe me.”

“i really had no idea you were there, minhyung,” jaehyun defends him, the name slipping off his tongue like he’s said it a million times. how long has he been in their lives? doyoung subtly ribs him. “mark.”

“you didn’t introduce me to your friend.” doyoung changes the subject immediately. he shifts his focus to donghyuck, who begins to wonder how painful a jump from a fifty story building would be. definitely less than this.

“i’m lee donghyuck, his personal assistant. you must be familiar with my name by now,” donghyuck tries to joke. it’s the only thing he knows how to do under pressure. everyone stares at him, so he quickly clarifies. “you know, because i’ve exchanged so many emails with _your_ staff.”

“right,” doyoung doesn’t humor him with his automated yet perfectly natural laugh. he’s not sure if that’s a good thing or not. “mark, i’d love to speak with you privately.”

“donghyuck stays here,” mark says. “and you didn’t answer the question.”

there is a crack in doyoung’s facade. his corporate smile flips into a frown. he looks at donghyuck, who jolts up and looks away. “jaehyun’s father was invited, and he stumbled upon the guestlist by complete accident. i saw your name and didn’t think twice. it’s not the big conspiracy you think it is. why do you always twist my actions into something evil?” his voice breaks at the last word.

“you specifically chose a public place to corner me and make sure i won’t cause a scene. it’s despicable.” 

doyoung’s eyes flicker to donghyuck again, no doubt displeased with an ‘outsider’ joining their conversation. 

“your brother’s tried everything,” jaehyun says. “he’s trying his best–”

mark glares at him. “and i couldn’t make it any more clear that i want nothing to do with you.” 

doyoung closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. the calm aura he had has completely collapsed, but what’s strange is how there isn’t any venom in the way he speaks to mark. he looks at jaehyun, eyes slightly shaking with doubt, and then back at mark.

“i just wanted us to talk,” he explains, voice growing desperate. “how have you been?”

mark hesitates, wavering as he bites his bottom lip. “i’m okay.”

doyoung smiles. “yuta tells me you’ve been a lot better recently, i think it’s great. i– jaehyun and i sent you something. did you receive it?”

mark sighs. “i don’t want it, doyoung. you knew i’m not going to come, why are you still wasting your time?”

it’s both a challenge and a desperate plea for answers. donghyuck would love to hear an explanation too. he still doesn’t have a clue as to how doyoung fucked up so badly that mark, his sweet and kind mark, is this revolted by him.

“i want to change, i want us to change,” doyoung is pleading, opening up and letting the magnitude of his pain seep out. “i’d do anything you want.”

“anything?” mark asks, softening. donghyuck is taken by surprise. is that really all it took for doyoung to resolve their conflict? 

“yes! all you have to do is ask.” doyoung is looking at donghyuck again, almost as if he knows what the two of them really are. jaehyun is smiling too.

“i have one request,” mark raises his voice loud enough to turn a few heads around them. he takes donghyuck’s hand. “stay the fuck away from me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i usually hate talking about this but i really need to get it off my chest. it feels very discouraging when i finally update after receiving messages about how excited you guys are for the next chapter, only to receive little comments afterwards. i really really appreciate the fact that so many of you are liking and enjoying the fic so far, but my excitement and motivation to post deflates so fast when the number of people that are reading the fic (to my knowledge) is not reflected in the comments, and it makes me wonder if there is something wrong with that particular chapter or my writing in general. 
> 
> so, if you really love my work and want to encourage me to write and update faster, please consider leaving a nice comment! nice comments are what keep me going!
> 
> as always thank you so much for reading, you can also find me on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei) ♡♡♡


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! this chapter is around 80% smut. if it makes you uncomfortable, you could scroll down to the end for the plotty part 💚

mark slams the door of his apartment shut, scaring donghyuck’s soul out of his body.

he rushed out of the party, dragging donghyuck along and pushing through the confused attendees, and only sparing yukhei and his group a gruff goodbye. donghyuck desperately wanted him to stop, he wanted him to listen to what doyoung had to say, but the couldn’t say anything, because the way mark instinctively reached for his hand had already told everyone too much.

he is scared. but more than anything he is confused.

doyoung is not the monster he envisioned. he was more like a wounded animal, his eyes were desperate and his voice was pleading. he was literally begging mark just to talk to him.

and donghyuck selfishly wished he would.

his boyfriend is hunched over the kitchen counter, taking deep, slow breaths as he tried to calm himself down. donghyuck stood by helplessly, giving him the space he needs. he was silent the entire ride home, his hands clenched on the wheel.

finally, mark looks up at him. his expression is weary. “i’m sorry you had to see me like that. i just, i didn’t think he was going to–”

donghyuck sighs, relieved that he’s finally talking to him again. “why are you apologizing to me? are you alright?”

“i don't want to drag you into this, i don't want you to be a part of t–that  _ mess _ ,” he spits out the last word. “you’re mine and mine only.”

“mark, i am yours,” donghyuck repeats as his heart performed a hundred flips. he takes mark’s warm cheeks in his hands. “and now that you have me, you’re gonna have to do a lot worse than that to scare me away.”

mark cracks a small smile. he surrenders himself to donghyuck so easily. “you sure about that?”

“one hundred percent,” donghyuck whispers as mark takes his lips. “are you alright?”

his usual answer is  _ yes, because you’re here. _ “i will be.”

it hurts, knowing that he’s burying a lot of pain that donghyuck can’t magically erase with a kiss or a bad joke. it didn’t occur to donghyuck that this was the reason he was hiding the truth from him. it’s not that mark didn’t trust him enough, it’s that he loved him too much to expose him to the things that hurt him the most.

“that’s all that matters to me.”

“i know,” mark is kissing him again, his pace growing more frantic. he pushes donghyuck against the counter. “i love you.”

donghyuck buries a hand in his hair. his worries are already washing away, replaced by something very different. “hmmm, what was that thing you said to me in the elevator?” 

“what did i say?” mark asks in a small voice.

“stop playing dumb! you can’t back out of it now, director lee.”

“it’s embarrassing, and you already know! why are you making me say it again?”

“because you’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” donghyuck replies. “and it’s revenge for riling me up and making me think about how much i’d like you to fuck me when we got back.”

he could almost hear the switch flip in mark’s head. more importantly, he could feel it against his leg. “fuck, donghyuck–”

“you dressed me up, took me to a fancy party, felt me up in front of hundreds of people,” donghyuck lists off the top of his head, leading him to his bedroom. “you had this perfect night lined up.”

although mark is already far gone, he still tries to be defensive. cute. “wrong, i didn’t plan for you to look so good that my brain to mouth filter malfunctioned.”

“dick to brain.”

“you’re so annoying,” mark says and donghyuck can’t stifle the snort escaping through his nose. he won’t be able to stop himself from bullying mark when he’s horny if he gets irritated that easily.

he sits on the edge of mark’s bed and throws his bowtie on the floor. if all he’s going to do is stand there and call him names, donghyuck is going to take matters into his own hands.

“stop,” mark says roughly, and donghyuck’s fingers freeze around the top buttons of his shirt. “i’ll do it.”

“i’m all yours,” donghyuck chokes out, and mark’s tongue is in his mouth again. he hums and lets him rip off the buttons and push down his shirt and blazer in one go, revealing his bare shoulders. 

mark might be whiny and impatient, but he touches donghyuck with equal delicateness and passion that fills his chest with warmth. like he can’t take his clothes off him fast enough but he’s restraining himself so he could slowly absorb every second they’re together. 

he loves donghyuck so much.

“i love you,” donghyuck says as mark slides his pants to his knees. mark, kneeling down, looks up at him.

“when i’m about to suck your dick?” he asks. he’s not trying to make a joke, and there is a hint of irritation in his voice. 

“is that what you were doing? i didn’t notice,” donghyuck replies casually, like the hot puffs of air coming from mark’s mouth aren’t driving him insane. 

mark takes him all in one go, and donghyuck’s back arches off the bed as he lets out a choked, surprised moan. he grips into his thighs for balance, his nails digging into his skin.

his round eyes look up at donghyuck, whose chest is heaving as he tries to keep his legs from shaking. mark’s wet, warm mouth around his length is enough to make donghyuck squirm, begging for him to move.

“please.”

and when he does, he’s devastatingly good, his lips tightening around donghyuck’s dick and his tongue dragging along slowly, taking him all in.

stars gather at the corners of donghyuck’s eyes. “s–stop, i’m about to come.”

mark obeys immediately, leaving him cold and unattended and on the verge of exploding. he whines and spends the next minute trying to get his head straight.

“holy shit,” donghyuck hisses, pulling mark up until he falls on top of him. “where has this been all this time?”

mark avoids his eyes, face flushing a faint pink. “it’s been a while, but you could say i fucked my way through college.”

something hardens in donghyuck’s chest, an ugly searing flash of jealousy when forced to imagine mark with anyone else but him. worse, he’s even more aroused knowing that mark is about to unleash his sexual prowess on him for the first time.

“wait, why do you look so surprised? please don’t tell me you thought i was a virgin.”

donghyuck doesn’t say anything.

mark looks more alarmed. “that i’ve only had sex with  _ girls _ ?”

how does his brain come up with such inconceivable scenarios? “that’s not my surprised face, doofus. that’s my  _ i want you inside of me right now because i don’t know how much longer i’m going to last _ face.”

his boyfriend is pulling his own clothes off, his legs hugging donghyuck’s waist. “are you sure this is the tone you want to use with your boss, donghyuck?”

they stare at each other, tension rising in the small space where their breaths connect, and then they both burst out laughing.

“you dork! what are you gonna do, read me to sleep?”

mark tries to wipe his smile off his face, but fails spectacularly. “i could fire you, first of all.”

“yeah? good luck finding another guy willing to suck you off under your desk, director lee.”

“i never asked you to do that,” mark replies sheepishly. he throws the last remnants of his clothes off the bed.

“it’s practically in the job description,” donghyuck is catching his lips again. “when you’re so high strung  _ and _ you look like that.”

“what are you planning to do about it then?”

it’s a big question. because donghyuck has been dying for this moment since he stepped into mark’s office for the first time. but there is one thing he’s wanted more than anything else.

“let you fuck me to relieve the stress.” mark doesn’t respond for a long time, so he tilts his head. “if you’d like to.”

“do you want me to?”

“i can’t believe you just asked me that,” donghyuck clicks his tongue. “i want you to make sure i can’t walk straight tomorrow morning. is it clear now?”

“i don’t think i can do that!” mark stutters. 

“i’ve had you inside my mouth, i know you’re perfectly capable of doing that.”

mark shifts his weight around, and donghyuck, still feeling frustrated and unfilfilled after he forced him to stop, wants to shake him and tell him to make up his damn mind already. 

“it’s kinda embarrassing, the whole talking to you like i’m your boss thing,” he says suddenly. “maybe we should stop.”

donghyuck loops his arms around mark’s neck and pushes him back down. he feels bad for teasing him about it, and whatever mark wanted to do, he was more than happy to indulge him with it. “no, it’s hot. i want to keep going.”

mark licks his lips. “spread your legs then.”

“what do you wanna do?”

“i’m going to put an end to your non stop nagging.”

he breaks into a wild grin and backs up into the bed, resting his back on the pillows while mark digs for something in the drawer next to him. he fishes out a condom and a small bottle of lube. “i got these the night the first time we kissed. after i did it once i knew i’d do it again, that i wouldn’t be able to stop myself anymore.” 

he remembers that morning when mark kissed him again so vividly. it felt like their first true kiss, because there was no doubt or confusion or surprise, it’s wild, how mark kissed him once and immediately decided he wanted donghyuck forever.

donghyuck brings his thighs further apart as mark drizzles the bottle’s contents over his pale fingers. they’re slick and ready, but instead of stretching him out, mark sucks on the insides of donghyuck’s thighs. he gasps and melts into mark’s sheets.

“you have moles there too, so pretty.” mark is enamored and fond of every inch of his body. 

“i’ve noticed you staring at my thighs before,” donghyuck accuses. he liked sitting on mark’s desk frequently for this very reason. his boyfriend’s reaction was always worth it. 

“shit, was i always that obvious?” mark asks, his glossy lips parting from donghyuck’s soft flesh.

“you probably were,” donghyuck thinks back to the disgusted looks yuta would shoot him. he understands and empathizes completely. “but i didn’t notice until we started dating. i can’t believe how stupid and blind i was before, you practically swallow me whole with your eyes mark.”

“god, i want to die. i’ve been seen  _ in public _ with you.” donghyuck knows exactly who he’s thinking of, but he can’t come up with a nice way to inform him that holding donghyuck’s hand and running out is a way more obvious declaration than the blatant eye fucking. 

also, he doesn’t give a shit what doyoung thinks about the two of them right now.

mark positions his fingers at donghyuck’s entrance. he locks eyes with him first, searching for permission. donghyuck grants it to him with two frantic nods. 

his first finger slides in easily. donghyuck hasn’t been with anyone for a long time either, but he’d started fingering himself in the shower occasionally since his mark dreams began. it was all he could do to cope. 

“more,” donghyuck whines, rolling his hips into it. “i can take more.”

mark watches him intently as he inserts another finger, curling them up until they hit the right spot. a long groan escapes donghyuck’s throat, and he looks downwards to find that mark is stroking himself with his other hand. his mouth begins to water, he can’t wait any longer. a tiny part of his brain follows the movement, trying to memorize how mark likes it for future reference. 

“how are you feeling?” mark asks gently, although his voice is rough.

“i–i– need you to fuck me already,” donghyuck says, dying to smack mark’s hands away from his dick but also wondering if just watching him masturbate could make him come. the answer is probably yes.

mark slowly takes his fingers out, and the rate of donghyuck’s heartbeat rapidly goes up. 

“ready?” mark asks. even when he’s horny beyond belief, even when donghyuck explicitly told him that he’d like to lose his ability to walk, he still wants to make sure he’s okay.

“you look worried, stop looking worried.” donghyuck frowns. “the only thing you should be worrying about is me coming without you inside of me.”

mark sharply exhales through his nose. “i won’t last long if you keep talking like that, either.”

“hurry up then, mark lee.”

mark positions himself between donghyuck’s spread legs, dick still in his hand. donghyuck twitches up, and then mark’s expression changes, like a lightbulb just went on inside his head.

“wait, turn around,” he orders.

“what?” donghyuck blinks, experiencing a moment of clarity. is mark asking for what he thinks he’s asking for?

mark’s eyes are dark but he’s not looking at him. “y–you– you said all that shit about the edges of my desk and–”

“oh my god, director lee.”

“not really time for that nickname,” mark grunts.

donghyuck smiles, and even though he hates him for stalling for so long, he obeys mark’s wishes and flops over, bending his back and perking his ass in the air. he was too embarrassed to mention it again, but he appreciates how mark remembers everything he said to him, how their desires are in perfect sync.

mark’s hands grab onto each one of his cheeks, his fingers dipping so deep into donghyuck’s skin that it hurts a little. his mind flashes back to the time mark groped them after the blowjob in his office, and when he felt him up again in the elevator.  _ oh _ .

“it’s not just my thighs,” he muses out loud, wishing he could see mark’s undoubtedly embarrassed reaction.

“not as obvious as you thought i was, i guess.”

there is a long moment of silence where donghyuck is sure he’s going to sleep before mark makes a move, but then he feels mark’s cock push into his entrance. he’s so much thicker inside him than he was in his mouth, and donghyuck gasps as mark, huffing heavily, moves until his full length is in.

“alright?” mark asks for what feels like the one millionth time. donghyuck now understands that it’s because of his size. another  _ oh _ . “you’re so tight, fuck.”

“m–m–mark, please move,” donghyuck begs, unable to formulate a smartass response anymore.

his first thrusts are slow and deliberate, settling in and letting donghyuck adjust himself to him. but then mark’s motions grow a little erratic, almost as if he’s holding himself from going any faster, and although donghyuck can’t see mark’s face, his shallow breaths and low groans are more than enough to drive him insane.

“more,” he demands again. “please, please, please.”

donghyuck hisses through his teeth as mark’s hands dig deeper. he takes off the breaks and slams into him, and donghyuck screams. his rhythm is faster and more relentless, filling donghyuck up and bringing him closer to the edge with every thrust.

mark turns donghyuck into a spluttering mess, and all that comes out of his mouth is a string of chants that vaguely sound like mark’s name and barely suppressed moans. an  _ i love you _ might have slipped out but he’s too much of a mess to care right now.

“want to see you,” mark whispers, slowing his pace again.

donghyuck’s rage is just barely contained. “mark i fucking swear–”

“i want to look at your face while i’m fucking you,” he clarifies. it shuts donghyuck right up. “your face when you come, all of it.”

they switch positions again, with donghyuck comfortably lying on his back again. he loops his legs around mark’s waist before he pushes himself back in. it’s easier for him now that donghyuck is stretched out for him, and he wastes no time fucking him harder and adjusting his angle until donghyuck lets out a strained, “y–yes, right there–” 

every nerve inside his body is stimulated, and he looks up to see mark looking at him, face twisted and sweat trickling down his forehead but the fondness in his hooded eyes all the same. “god, you’re so good.” 

donghyuck reaches to touch his cheek, and mark bends down to kiss him, nice and deep and slow as his thrusts become faster and lose their rhythm.

“d–donghyuck i’m about to–” he whispers into his mouth.

“me too–”

donghyuck comes first, with a deep groan that mark takes in with his lips and cum sputtering over his stomach. mark follows a few seconds later, and then stays inside donghyuck, chest heaving and eyes shut tight.

he’s used to mark’s dead tired demeanor, but this is different. there is no tension in mark’s body, just peacefulness and absolute bliss oozing out of every soft breath he releases into donghyuck’s face. it’s hard to believe how devastated and distraught he was just an hour ago. quietly, silently, donghyuck vows to protect the happiness he feels right now.

“you are,” he says later when mark is cleaning him up with a towel he grabbed from the bathroom. “out of this world, absolutely incredible. i don’t have a stupid snarky way to spin it.”

“so you admit it’s stupid.”

“hey!”

mark giggles, and it sounds more like a gentle stream instead of a crashing waterfall. “kidding, i love your  _ stupid _ jokes and i love you. you are worth the wait, donghyuck.”

“well, i love you and your monster dick, director lee.”

mark is full on laughing again, and he collapses into the bed next to donghyuck. “please don’t ever call it that again.”

donghyuck pulls the sheets over them, ready to fall asleep. “i’m so glad we waited for a night where you weren’t on the verge of passing out before we even made it back to the apartment.”

“it kills me to admit it, but you’re right,” mark replies. “and it’s  _ we _ , you work yourself just as hard as i do and you don’t give yourself any credit.”

he’s right, because for the past few weeks donghyuck has only been going home to sleep, and when he did it was never for more than four hours. he’s just been so caught up in working with mark and making sure he’s okay that he didn’t consider the fact that he’s been there for his every waking moment. the days of coming into the office to find mark sitting there, all alone, are long gone.

“you are a bit of a handful,” donghyuck teases. “but i’ll take this over any other nine to five job.”

they lay down facing each other for a long time, and donghyuck knows that mark is tracing the constellation on his face and neck with his eyes again, like he’s pining for him even when he’s right there. for that long time, nothing else exists anymore, just the two of them and the universe they’ve created around each other. 

donghyuck jokes about being larger than life sometimes, but right now he wishes he could expand into mark’s mind, pushing out everything and everyone that ever hurt him. 

“how are you feeling now?” he asks, voice devoid of humor. he hates to be the one to bring it up again, but he can’t shake mark’s heartbreaking answer off.

“i’ve never been happier, donghyuck,” mark smiles, and there is a hint of a sparkle in his eyes.

“then i’m happy too,” donghyuck replies as he drifts off to sleep.

 

he only fully processes the events of the previous night when he’s laying in bed wide awake at seven the next morning.

mark is sleeping like a log, the exhaustion must have caught up to him. he’s at his most beautiful like this, when the strain of anxiety he carries with him is straightened out. with his tiny, but adorable snores in the background, donghyuck tries to piece everything that happened together. from renjun’s new friends to jung yunho to doyoung’s unexpected behavior. nothing makes sense and he starts to make himself believe that it was all an elaborate dream that turned dirty towards the end. he checks his phone for confirmation, and the lockscreen tells him it’s sunday and not saturday. fuck. 

there’s only one person he could talk to about this. he opens his messaging app and clicks the second name on the list.

**DONGHYUCK:** what happened after we left?

**RENJUN:** what’s that supposed to mean?

**DONGHYUCK:** ? did you miss the fucking mess that unfolded in front of everyone?

**RENJUN:** huh….so that’s what yukhei was talking about when he said mark was acting weird.

**RENJUN:** wanna talk about it?

**DONGHYUCK:** where do i even start? i’ll just tell you everything when i get home.

**RENJUN:** oh, i’m not home.

**DONGHYUCK:** where the hell are you then?

**RENJUN:** hong kong.

donghyuck swears under his breath and gets out of bed. he takes one step across mark’s fluffy carpet and winces in pain. whether he did it purposely or not, mark fulfilled his dream after all, and he’s not sure he likes it so much anymore. 

he stares at at his face in the mirror for a full five minutes. he looks so much better and generally….happier when he’s all fucked out. mark is in for a treat when he wakes up. the only thing that bothers donghyuck is how awful his hair is. it looks so stringy and it’s sticking out in every direction.

right, he remembers. he definitely saw mark take his hair brush out of the first drawer of his dresser yesterday. he just needs to look there. 

it still feels a uncomfortable digging around his boyfriend’s apartment like it’s his own, and he knows mark would laugh at him or even feel a little offended that he doesn’t treat this place like it’s his own. 

donghyuck takes a quick peek inside, and curses instead when he doesn’t find it there or the bottom two drawers. he checks the bathroom again with no luck. finally, he tries the nightstand on mark’s side of the bed, but instead of finding the brush he sees an envelope thrown in the middle. it must have been there for a while, because it’s slightly buried under a pile of mark’s toiletries. still, the name on the back in bold letters is as clear as day.

**to** ~~**minhyu** ~~ **mark lee.**

only two people in the world have used that name. it’s wrong to do anything besides leaving it alone and pretending he never saw it there, but donghyuck’s been pretending and turning a blind eye for far too long, and last night might have finally been the confrontation to push him to search for the truth. 

he throws a glance at mark’s sleeping figure before sneaking out into the living room. the front side has the red lee family seal he uses for official documents sometimes, glossy and glistening against the early morning sun. it’s already been ripped open.

with shaky hands, donghyuck takes the contents out.

it’s an invitation to doyoung and jaehyun’s wedding.

a note falls out along with it, written in doyoung’s clean and beautiful handwriting.

_ it would mean the world to jaehyun and i if you came. _

doyoung’s pleading eyes are fresh in his mind again, as is jaehyun’s unshakable support for him. he’s not trying to take control of mark, and his motives are not as sinister as he thought. he’s trying to mend a bridge that was burned.

later, when mark emerges from his room, whistling to himself as he dries his hair, he finds donghyuck sitting on the couch, legs crossed, with the envelope in his hand.

“mark, are you finally ready to tell me what’s going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (i hate that i need to clarify this but as stated in my cc, this is a switch markhyuck fic)
> 
> thank you so so much to everyone who commented on the last chapter, this fic is my baby and reading all your lovely comments about how much you're enjoying it made me very happy and emotional. im so excited to share the entire story with you all 🥰
> 
> i would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter as well! you can also find me on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)! love you all mwah<333


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the one you guys have been waiting for<33

doyoung is nine when he meets minhyung for the first time.

he’s in their mother’s arms, tears staining his round, chubby face. he’s four years old but in doyoung’s memory he’s so much smaller and younger. innocent and vulnerable and in desperate need of protection.

a labored sigh escapes his mother’s lips. “doyoung, this is–”

“minhyung,” his grandmother cuts her off. they exchange an intense look.

“your younger brother,” she puts minhyung down, his little duck printed sneakers landing softly on their mansion’s wooden floor. “starting today. be good to each other, alright? mom will be back in a second.”

minhyung grips into their mother’s pants, and she pets his head and encourages him to step forward. he extends a wet, snot filled hand. doyoung hesitates before taking it. he’s always getting yelled at about coming in contact with germs. “i’m m–m–ma–minhyung.”

doyoung gives it a firm shake while nodding politely. “lee doyoung, pleased to meet you.”

he sits on the couch, arms hugging his legs close and staring straight as he listens to his mother and grandparents tear at each other in the next room. the door is locked but their voices echo into the extensive first floor of their family home. 

he’s still young, but he’s old enough to know when to tune out what the adults are saying. when they’re too loud, when they’re screaming at each other, when they say things that don’t make much sense but he still registers as hurtful.

doyoung hears a pot smash, and then a sob that might belong to his mother. he wouldn’t know, he barely sees her anymore. 

and no one told him she was coming, he heard about it from their house staff’s loud whispering and a news report on the tv a few days earlier. 

_troubled older daughter of the lee family returns from canada._

his nanny caught wind of what he was watching and shut it off quickly, right as they brought in the analyst who predicted she was going to take back her role as the neo group chairman after a five year absence.

it’s only when the sun is a little higher up in the sky that he realizes his new brother wasn’t in the living room anymore. shit, it’s his first day as an older brother and he’s already misplaced minhyung.

he runs upstairs, panic setting in his chest. minhyung isn’t in his playroom or any of the bedrooms, not in any of the kitchens, not by the pool, and not even in the wine cellar in the basement.

doyoung arrives at the garden, breathless, and blinks at the sunshine twice before spotting minhyung laughing and kicking a soccer ball far too big for his feet, the little ducklings on his shoes already smudged with mud. the tear streaks that were on his face are no longer there.

but he’s not alone.

“you’re here again,” doyoung puts his hands on his hips.

jaehyun smiles. it’s so infuriating, he’s always smiling. “i’m here every day.”

it’s true. the jungs live right across the street, and their families have been close for longer than they’ve both been alive. his grandparents have been inviting jaehyun over for playdates for so long that he started coming without any invitations. he knows the mansion better than the fifty or so people who live in it.

the adults shoved them together to maintain the good relationship they’ve built in the future. it’s almost as if every aspect of his life is perfectly engineered to shape him into the man both his family and the neo group board of directors want him to become.

but doyoung finds jaehyun annoying. he’s perfect like an obedient little robot, and his smile and set of dimples make him look like he’s trying provoke him somehow. he still shows up despite doyoung’s clear distaste for him, and he can never understand _why_.

it’s the one thing he’s in control of: disliking the boy everyone decided should be his best friend.

minhyung’s eyes widen when he sees doyoung. he runs over to him, smile melting into a pout. “i got lost.” 

doyoung bends down so they could look at each other. minhyung’s eyes are round and glassy, and his hair is sticking to his damp forehead. “it’s alright,” he says. “are you having fun?”

minhyung nods, flashing his teeth again. “is jaehyun my brother too? i like jaehyun.”

jaehyun laughs again, and doyoung wants to punch him. “it’s just you and me,” he answers, even though he’s unsure himself. 

“i’m way better at soccer than doyoung is, minhyung,” jaehyun throws the ball in the air and then bounces it on his leg. “do you wanna see?”

doyoung snorts. “stop lying.”

this was the other thing that made jaehyun so annoying. he has to outdo doyoung in everything. if doyoung gets a full mark, jaehyun has it too but with bonus points. if doyoung enjoys a sport, jaehyun is going to train every day until he’s good enough to beat him in a friendly game.

“lying is bad jaehyun!” minhyung agrees, clinging to doyoung’s leg like he did to their mother earlier. doyoung finds that he doesn’t mind it at all.

“i–i–i’m not! i’ll show you right now!”

minhyung stands on the sidelines. “doyoung! you can do it!”

“why are you cheering for him?” jaehyun yells, frowning. “i thought you liked me.”

“you’re not my brother,” minhyung explains. “doyoung is my brother!”

doyoung smiles. “i’m going to kick his butt!” 

“kick his butt!” minhyung claps, giggling.

jaehyun attacks him viciously, powered by his overwhelming, constant desire to best doyoung, but ultimately loses, three goals to doyoung’s four.

he throws his body down on the grass, and doyoung could practically hear mrs. jung scolding him for returning home covered in grass and dirt again. “i’ll get you next time lee doyoung!” he’s frowning again but there is a hint of excitement in his voice. he’s looking forward to that next time.

“or you could just admit you’re a loser and i’m so much better than you,” doyoung suggests. “and stop coming to my house.”

“i like you….r house! i like coming to your house!”

“mommy said this is my house too.” minhyung’s caterpillar eyebrows are furrowed together. “jaehyun can come to my house!”

jaehyun leaps off the ground, his hair full of grass. “yes! now i can come by every day to play with minhyung.”

doyoung feels betrayed by his baby brother. “you already do that without an excuse!”

minhyung isn’t listening, he stands on his tiptoes to pull jaehyun’s sleeve down. “do you wanna come inside and meet mr. rangi?”

“who is mr. rangi?”

“he’s a big and scary tiger! he’s my best friend!” doyoung remembers seeing an abandoned stuffed animal on the floor of their living room.

“i didn’t get the chance to meet mr. rangi yet,” he folds his arms, ignoring the fact that he was telling his grandmother he was too old for childish things like stuffed animals just last week.

minhyung holds his hand too, and jaehyun and doyoung are forced closer together. they lock eyes for only a second before turning away. he could swear he saw a hint of a blush on jaehyun’s cheeks.

that was so weird.

 

later that evening, doyoung settles into bed, staring at the ceiling shadows created by his nightlight. he wonders if this is normal, having this happen to him with no explanation. being expected to obey when no one tells him what’s going on. 

their mother didn’t say much to him when she saw them at dinner, she just looked happy and relieved that minhyung was already following doyoung around everywhere. doyoung took the smile she gave him for the first time in years and held on tight to it.

it’s been five years since his parents’ bitter divorce, since his mother ran off to canada under the guise of running the north american neo group office and his father washed himself off his parental responsibilities, only stopping by the mansion to take him out for dinner twice a month.

doyoung learns about everything from the bits and pieces of overheard adult conversations and tabloid magazines. 

it’s not often that you read a two page article about how your own parents never loved each other.

there are a couple of weak knocks, and then minhyung peeks his tiny head through the door. “doyoung!” he whisper yells.

doyoung sits up, startled. “are you alright?”

minhyung shakes his head. “i was trying to sleep, but it’s so dark and so big in here.”

he stands by the foot of doyoung’s bed expectantly before doyoung understands and hurriedly scoots over and peels the covers off for him to climb in.

he lays on his side to face minhyung. “is this better? i can’t sleep with the lights off either.”

he’s never told anyone this before. after his personal staff finish preparing him for bed and turn the lights off he rushes to turn them back on the second they leave. the shadows on the ceiling  make him feel less alone.

“doyoung feels scared? but you’re so old and you’re stronger than jaehyun.”

doyoung laughs. at least one other person agrees that jaehyun is a loser. “i’m not scared, our house is just scary!”

minhyung perks his lips and stares up at the shadows. “yes it is.”

“well it’s not as scary now, because we have mr. rangi.” he’s not really talking about mr. rangi.

“mr. rangi can protect us all!”

“i trust mr. rangi,” doyoung agrees. he stifles a yawn. it must be past ten already.

“mommy always says _i love you_ before i go to sleep,” minhyung says, his big eyes half closed. “i love you, doyoung.”

doyoung is still navigating the responsibilities of being an older brother, but he knows he never wants to see minhyung cry ever again. 

“i love you, minhyung.”

 

the next morning, their mother pulls doyoung aside. she holds his hands tight and asks if he could ever forgive her.

doyoung chooses the answer he thinks will make him the happiest.

 _yes_.

 

“so where is your dad?” jungwoo asks. “what is he like? what is canada like? if you’re canadian how can you speak korean?”

the questions spill out of their cousin’s mouth like a waterfall. doyoung, now ten, watches him in silent terror.

he should have known their encounter would go like this. unlike doyoung, jungwoo did not have a strict upbringing and therefore never developed a brain to mouth filter. their grandparents hate it but jungwoo’s mother thinks he’s delightful. 

they both revel in chaos. 

it’s summer, and minhyung is in jeju for the first time. he’s still following doyoung everywhere, and has developed a very valid fear of jungwoo. but there isn’t much he can do to escape him when the adults leave the three of them together by the resort pool all day. 

although their mother seldom leaves the two of them out of her sight, she quickly finds her hands full with her younger sister’s antics. 

“i–i– don’t know what my dad is like,” mark stutters. “canada is really cold.” 

jungwoo puts his hands on his hips. “what does that mean? you don’t know your dad?”

“jungwoo–” doyoung threatens, but his cousin ignores him. if he’s being honest, it’s a question he’s always wanted to ask. minhyung talks about canada and the snow and their mom constantly, but he never brings his father up. 

minhyung looks increasingly uncomfortable. there are tears forming at the corners of his eyes. “i don’t know.”

it’s the answer jungwoo hates the most, because he must know everything at all times. he tries to process it for a while before finally deciding to let it pass, his seven-year-old attention span not equipped to care about a conversation topic for more than five minutes.

“do you wanna sneak into grandpa’s office and scare him? come on, i know a super secret entrance.”

doyoung is helping minhyung clear a level on his game boy when their mother returns to their suite in the evening. minhyung hops off the couch and runs to her for a hug. 

“how was your day sweetie?” 

minhyung hesitates before whispering something in her ear, and all the color drains from her face. she storms out of the room. 

doyoung counts one, two, three seconds before following her out. her parents and sister are having dinner together somewhere across the hall, and she doesn’t bother with formalities before unleashing her rage. he stands outside and braces for impact.

doyoung was raised looking up at his grandparents like they’re untouchable gods, but they were toppled by his mother soon after she came home. she’s the top of the pyramid now, and whatever she says goes.

“if he ever mentions this to my son again–”

“what’s wrong with talking about him?” her mother is saying. “aren’t you the one who dragged that deadbeat into our lives?”

her sister scoffs. “two children from two different fathers, one of which is a fucking commoner. are you too embarrassed to tell the kids the truth?”

“i don’t give a shit what you think about me! you will leave minhyung out of it and that’s final.” there is a pause before she adds the next part. “doyoung as well.”

no one mentions them ever again after that night.

 

it’s three summers later, and they’re in jeju when they hear the news.

minhyung doesn’t play in the pool anymore. he’s sitting under the shade with a tall glass of watermelon juice and a fresh stack of books his mother got him for his birthday. it’s all he does now, absorbing every piece of literature he could get his hands on. he and doyoung still fall asleep together sometimes, but not before reading a story of his choosing.

doyoung is a lot happier, he thinks as he and jungwoo chase each other around with water guns. minhyung is the best thing that’s ever happened to him in his sad, tightly controlled little life. 

for the first time ever, he understands what it’s like to feel loved. like, truly and unconditionally loved, not having court mandated dinners or receiving begrudging attention from people who were cornered into taking care of you.

he’s about to shoot jungwoo in the face when their house staff rushes in, taking away the guns and informing them that they’re going home immediately.

chairman lee has been in a car accident. her condition is critical.

 

(at the funeral, he catches his grandmother staring at minhyung. he could swear something in her eyes has changed.)

 

♡ ♡ ♡

 

just before doyoung turns sixteen, jaehyun kisses him for the first time.

“i just don’t understand,” doyoung is saying, flipping the pencil in his hand absentmindedly. “why wouldn’t minhyung want to attend my birthday party?”

jaehyun hums. “did he tell you that?”

he and jaehyun are in the mansion library, in the middle of one of their studying sessions. they have three of those per week, down from the original five that his grandmother asked for. she’s constantly comparing him to jaehyun:

_why aren’t you as well behaved as jaehyun, why aren’t your grades as good as jaehyun’s, why aren’t you as ambitious as jaehyun._

she resolves her obsession with him by forcing them even closer together, as if doyoung hasn’t been terrorized by those dimples enough. aside from their after school study sessions, the company pulled some strings at their elite academy to ensure that they’re always in the same class, that they arrive at school together, and join the same clubs.

doyoung is also beginning to suspect that no one has dared to ask either of them out throughout high school because they think they’re, and he shudders at the thought, _dating_ each other.

“he didn’t, madam lee told me a few days ago.” it’s what he calls their grandmother.

“you know how minhyung is,” jaehyun shrugs. “he would much rather spend his time in his room reading. plus, what eleven-year-old would want to socialize with a careful selection of middle aged millionaires?” 

“what sixteen-year-old would?” doyoung fires back. “wait, i take it back. you’re right here.”

this isn’t a normal birthday party, because doyoung isn’t a normal teenager. he’s corporate royalty, in this case the equivalent of a crown prince to a massive empire, and his family wasted no time grooming him to take over the second his mother passed away. so he won’t get to have a childish party with his school friends, because his grandfather prepared what he coldly calls ‘incredible networking opportunities’  instead.

(minhyung? he’s an afterthought.)

“ha ha, you’re hilarious. maybe i should just not come then?” jaehyun makes an empty threat. 

“don’t be stupid, i need to have a doofus by my side to make me look good,” doyoung says. he smirk up at jaehyun, but it’s quickly wiped off his face when he notices the charged look in his eyes.

have the chairs they’re sitting on always been this close? has jaehyun been slowly leaning his body towards him this entire time? before he knows it, their faces are only a couple of centimeters apart. and then zero.

doyoung would die before he admits that he’s wondered about how jaehyun’s cushy lips would feel like, but they’re a lot softer than he imagined. a lot, lot better.

it’s chaste and awkward, very obviously jaehyun’s first, but it’s doyoung’s too and technique barely matters when the taste of his mouth sends his heart into outer space.

when jaehyun pulls away, his face is a gorgeous red and he looks at doyoung expectantly, like he won another arbitrary game, like he’s expecting doyoung to admit defeat.

truthfully, doyoung wasn’t aware they were playing this game until this very moment.

which is why he reacts the same way he usually does when jaehyun emerges a smug victor. “a–anyway– even if that’s the case, i just don’t understand why minhyung wouldn’t tell me himself?”

pretending it never happened.

if jaehyun is disappointed, he barely shows any sign of it. he rests his chin on his hand and plays along, but there is a funny spark in his eyes that forces doyoung to stare down at his notes. “you’re his favorite person in the world, doyoung. maybe minhyung was worried he was going to hurt your feelings.”

it’s an answer he can accept. “that does sound like him.”

 

“it’s not true, by the way,” minhyung says when he’s in his room that night. he came in looking for a misplaced pair of shoes.

“what is?” doyoung frowns. 

“i never said– oh! there they are!” minhyung is a lot taller now, but he still has to stand on his tiptoes to reach the third shelf of doyoung’s shoe closet. “i never said i didn’t want to come to your party. grandma told me not to go downstairs during it.”

doyoung’s body begins to feel uncomfortably warm. “wait, how did you know about that?” 

“i was in the library this afternoon, when you and jaehyun were….studying,” minhyung says, slinging the shoes over his shoulders by its laces. “gross.”

 

doyoung is already sixteen but he’s still so stupid and naive. 

not an afterthought. a deliberate erasure. 

there are some things you hear as a kid that stick inside your brain like a particularly stubborn piece of gum on a sidewalk, echoing in the chambers of your tiny head until one day, they suddenly make sense. 

his family only made their feelings about minhyung’s presence clear within his earshot once, and he couldn’t comprehend what exactly made them so upset before, but now that he’s been through years of gruelling training the answer is obvious to him. minhyung’s father was an outsider, and therefore he was too. 

the guilt eats up at him. how could he not notice and brush it all off as some unrelated coincidences? minhyung couldn’t spend the entire summer at jeju anymore because he’s sent to camp for a month, he always has an extra-circular activity coinciding with the weekends of major social events, and he never, ever comes downstairs when guests are over.

everyone knows he exists, obviously. he goes to the same fucking school, he lives in the mansion, and his inheritance in their mother’s will is equal to doyoung’s. the message his family wants to send is that he’s not really one of them. that he’ll never be. they’ve waged an emotional war against a child.

doyoung watches the dull crowd in the garden from his bedroom terrace. he was never on board with this party in the first place, but now he feels dirty to be at the center of it all.

“i’ve never seen someone look so upset at their own birthday party,” jaehyun is up here with him, because of course he is. “you’re not still thinking about the one point the teacher deducted from your math quiz grade this morning are you?”

why was jaehyun even paying attention to that? “huh? i’m just thinking about minhyung again. he should be with us– i mean with me.”

he can't tell jaehyun the truth. he doesn't care about jaehyun’s opinion of him or anything but he doesn't want him to think he’s complicit in his family’s wrongdoings.

“i’m not good enough company?” jaehyun teases. his face is inappropriately close again, but doyoung doesn't push him away. he doesn’t want to.

“that's exactly what i’m saying,” he whispers.

jaehyun is kissing him again, just as he’d secretly wished he would. doyoung puts a hand on his shoulder, breathing softly into his mouth. it breaks the tension. jaehyun’s lips feel like relief.

“why did you do that?” he asks, his fingers still digging into jaehyun’s jacket.

“because i like you,” jaehyun replies. there’s that funny spark again. fuck fuck fuck. “why did you kiss me back?” 

doyoung himself doesn’t know how to answer this question. “uhm, you’re not so bad to look at. come on, there is something i need to do.”

he grabs his hand, and jaehyun whistles. “wow, is young master lee taking me out on a date?”

“shut the fuck up.”

 

“psst, minhyung!” jaehyun knocks on his door. minhyung opens it, and blinks at them in confusion behind his thick glasses. “get dressed, we’re going out.”

“going….where? did doyoung’s birthday get cancelled?” there is a spark of hope in his voice, and doyoung’s chest tightens in pain. 

“not quite, we just decided we’re not going to attend anymore,” he winks at minhyung. he’s always been so good with him, probably the only person in the world doyoung could trust his baby brother with.

minhyung hesitates, he looks back at the half finished book on his bed and then back at them. “i’m in, where are we going?”

doyoung rolls his eyes. “less questions and more time getting ready. quick, before someone notices we’re gone.”

jaehyun’s driver picks them up from the back gate and drives them out to the han river. they buy soda and some cheap snacks from a nearby stand and set shop on the grass, talking about school and minhyung’s books and complaining about their grandparents. the february air is cold and crisp, but as doyoung breathes it, he feels more alive than he’s ever. 

“are you sure this is how you want to be spending your birthday? they’ve been preparing that party for months,” minhyung suddenly asks in a worried tone.

“hmm, do i want to spend my birthday talking to grandpa’s dinosaur friends or out having fun with my favorite brother?”

mark giggles, and doyoung realizes it’s been so long since he heard him laugh. “i’m your only brother, dumbass.”

 

his grandparents are standing in the dark foyer when they come back in, around one in the morning.

“minhyung, go to your room,” his grandfather says. minhyung nods, head low, and runs upstairs.

“doyoung, are you forgetting who you are?” his grandmother asks. “you are in no position to run out however you please, especially not on an important night like this one.”

doyoung is shaking. “you seem to be forgetting who minhyung is. he’s my brother, your grandson, he’s entitled to the same life and opportunities i h–”

“that’s not for you to decide!” her voice thunders. “i don’t think you fully understand. as long as you live under this roof, everything you have is ours, and we can take it from you at any moment. your brother is included.”

they leave him in tears.

that night, doyoung learns that the most important thing in the world isn’t money, it’s power, and he’s going to spend the rest of his life acquiring it. 

(he also learns that he’d like to continue kissing jaehyun for a long time, but that’s a lot less important.)

 

♡ ♡ ♡

 

as doyoung’s star burns brighter, mark sinks further into the shadows.

 _once i am in power, everything will be okay_ , is the mantra he chants in his head as his family continues to shut mark out. he just has to persevere for a few years until he can grab the top position in the company, the one that gave his mother free reign. then he and mark will finally be okay.

granted, it’s the easier path to take, not the most moral one. doyoung just tries to convince himself that he’s doing the right thing, otherwise the guilt will eat him up inside.

mark eventually begins to shut them out too, doyoung included.

they stop talking after doyoung moves to an apartment closer to his college campus, and he gets so caught up in his new life away from the mansion that he barely notices the timestamps on their last texts are a few months old. some of them subtle requests for doyoung to come by to visit that he doesn’t catch.

he and jaehyun kiss each other many times after that night, but that’s all doyoung agrees to call them. just kisses. because his annoying neighbor accidentally grew up to be infuriatingly hot. 

it takes a hundred kisses, a lot more sex, endless phone calls and visits to jaehyun’s american university, before he admits that he might also be a little in love with him.

it’s the spring break of his third year in college, and he’s hopping out of bed to pick his clothes up from the floor. not that it matters, jaehyun has cleared three shelves for him in his closet, and they’re already full. he throws on a dark green sweater jaehyun got him one christmas. 

“i’ve decided,” he declares, and jaehyun snorts at his tone before hearing what he’s going to say. “i don’t think you’re ever going to do any better than this, jung jaehyun.”

“are you saying i’m the only one for you?” jaehyun, sitting at the edge of his bed, grabs his waist and pulls doyoung to his lap. 

doyoung loops his arms around his neck and kisses him deeply. “if you want to be corny about it, sure.”

 

doyoung starts working part-time at neo group headquarters and moves back to the mansion a few months before his final college semester wraps up.

even though it’s his childhood home, it makes him feel deeply uneasy. maybe something happened while he was gone, or maybe it’s always been like that but he lived there for so long that the uneasiness became a part of him.

he only sees minhyung during meals and when they pass each other in the hallway. he’s always hunched down, dark look in his eyes, all life drained out. he’s seventeen and so much taller, the baby fat in his cheeks has been replaced by razor sharp bones.

 

fifty five minutes into an international call with jaehyun, he hears a couple of weak knocks on his door, and then minhyung peeks his head inside. “doyoung?” minhyung whispers.

doyoung sits up, muting the call. “are you alright?”

“uh, yeah. i’m fine,” his voice is so much deeper now, and his short haircut makes him look older. he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “my high school graduation is tomorrow. you could come if you want, no one else is.” 

doyoung’s heart clenches tight. he totally forgot minhyung was in his last year of school. it’s no surprise that no one in their family is bothering to come, and if he still knows anything about minhyung, it’s that his pride will never allow him to ask any of them to.

“of course!” he agrees enthusiastically. “of course i’ll be there, i promise.”

minhyung smiles at him for the first time in years.

 

he puts on his best suit the next morning, and wonders if he should ask the family photographer to come as well. he has to pick up the flowers he ordered the previous night too before heading to the academy. 

as soon as he steps out into the livingroom however, his grandmother stops him.

“you’re not dressed for jeju,” she says.

“jeju? i’m going to minhyung’s graduation.” _and you should too, you spiteful old witch._

“we are going to jeju to entertain your grandparent’s foreign guests, as per tradition,” she gestures for one of the housekeepers, who nods and heads up to doyoung’s room. “you are required to attend. you’re officially part of the company now.”

he remembers the incident from six years ago, her threat towards his brother. he’s still so far away from reaching the top of the pyramid.

so he swallows his pain, shuts his eyes tight, and begs minhyung to forgive him.

 

when he returns a few days later, he hesitantly stands in front of minhyung’s room, trying to think of words good enough to mend the situation. but when he finally musters the courage to open the door, he’s greeted to a vacant room. 

“haven’t you heard? your brother moved back to canada.”

 

♡ ♡ ♡

 

their grandparents move to jeju and die soon after, leaving him all alone in the big mansion and even bigger company. a few months in, he calls jaehyun at 3am and tells him he’s feeling a little lonely. jaehyun moves in the next morning.

he tries to be the same kind of leader his mother was, upholding their family’s long traditions while injecting new life into their image. international business publications begin to call him the country’s future.

 

minhyung and doyoung have very few direct conversations after he returns home.

 

“minhyung, how have you been?”

“my name is mark, please don’t call me anything else.”

“of cou–”

“actually, i’d like it if you kept our relationship strictly professional.”

 

“ _sun and moon_ is on the verge of collapse, if we don’t make a move now then–”

“is this the only reason you came to see me?”

a long pause. “what other reason would i have?”

“i’m sorry, you’re my brother but it’s an objectively bad business decision.”

 

“did you hear about me and jaehyun?”

“i’m not coming to your fucking wedding.”

 

the top of the pyramid is impossibly lonely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew......that was a ride wasnt it? im super excited to hear all your thoughts!!!!!! PLEASE dump them all on me!!!!!!!!
> 
> thank you so much for reading and as always you can also talk to me on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/puppylove) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/demonyukhei)!


End file.
